Review: THE THANKSGIVING PLAY at Altarena Playhouse

Thanksgiving is a time for food, family, and football. Or at least that is the way that most Americans experience it. In recent years, a few have stepped back to challenge the simplicity of the holiday, the edited history of its origin, and the lack of authentic Native voices in the story. Playwright Larissa FastHorse brings these issues to the forefront while using humor and satire to explore the problems. Altarena Playhouse’s production of THE THANKSGIVING PLAY uses that humor to deliver the message with aplomb. Hearty laughs with hefty questions make for a great night of theater.

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY by Larissa FastHorse is a satirical look at how Thanksgiving is presented in schools. A high school drama teacher, Logan, receives a grant to create a devised piece about Thanksgiving for their school. She assembles a small group including a local actor, a history teacher, and a Native American actor to collaborate on the piece. When she learns that the actor is not really Native American, but just an actor that can pass for Native, the entire project is launched into a tailspin. Now four white people are attempting to create a Thanksgiving performance piece without any input of Native voices. The group devolves into chaos as they try more and more far fetched ideas hoping to find a path to resolution for their dilemma. 

The cast of THE THANKSGIVING PLAY is a well cast, tight-knit group. Cary Ann Rosko as Logan brings the bright-eyed enthusiasm and frustration of a high school drama teacher. She presents the people-pleasing need that masks the complicated web of demands she faces which allows her character to rise above the stereotype. Rosko taps into the genuineness of Logan’s desire to do the right thing with layers of sadness and frustration that the right answers are ultimately out of her control. Will Livingston as Jaxton leans into the absurd. Jaxton is everything that non-actors like to make fun of actors about. Livingston does a great job of presenting Jaxton authentic beliefs while revealing his huge blind spots. Tyler Iiams as Caden is the wannabe of wannabes. His unfulfilled dreams fuel his motivation and help take the group off track. Iiams layers Caden with self-doubt and academic snobbery. His imposter syndrome pulls double duty as he attempts to  speak for both the Native community as a theater professional. Anna Kosiarek’s Alicia presents yet another stereotype of the empty-headed actor and the problematic casting of white people to play people of color. Kosiarek’s deadpan replies are the perfect match to the tone deaf casting that often happens when theaters want to produce a piece for which they don’t have the necessary cast. Kosiarek makes Alicia not only believable but also shows how her simplistic approach can not only hurt others, but also hurt herself. Maintaining focus while appearing to not have a thought in your head is difficult to do, and Kosiarek nails it. The real magic of the cast is how they worked together enhancing each others’ work. In addition to the four actors on stage, the show also included four actors that appeared in a series of videos. Their contribution added both commentary and humor to the show, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Caroline Schneider for their exceptionally enthusiastic singing turkey.

The artistic team of THE THANKSGIVING PLAY creates a rich space in which the cast can play. Set Designer Tom Curtin provides a space that allows movement, areas of focus, and multiple uses without anything ever needing to be moved, turned or altered. His work allows the scenes to blend seamlessly with the video portion so that the story never stops. The videography by Michael Franklin makes some bold choices to replicate what one might find when seeking curriculum content as a teacher. And while it underscores the need for better content and quality for Thanksgiving curriculum, some of the videos have significant clarity issues in sound. The lighting design by Stephanie Ann Johnson is minimal and very on point for a classroom setting. However, I wish it included more variation especially during the few poignant and touching scenes when softer lighting would have enhanced the story even more. The costumes by Ava Byrd are very well done and help set each character’s identity. I only wish that the one wig used (necessary due to casting) had been less obvious. Director Kimberly Ridgeway provides the cast with interesting blocking that uses the space well and prevents the scenes from becoming static. The only pacing issue is the opening video which is painfully long. Otherwise, the show moves along quite quickly, perhaps at times too quickly. The one time the show gets close to addressing the essence of the issue of Native representation or lack thereof in Thanksgiving curriculum, it moves right along to the next joke without allowing the truth of that moment to hit as hard as it could.

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY is a show that makes fun of every aspect of how Thanksgiving is presented in schools. The satire is sharp and on point, and the laughs just keep coming. The show makes fun of not only the reality of Thanksgiving curriculum but also of the well intentioned people that try to fix it. When the laughs are over and the actors are all complimented on their comedic timing and crazy antics, the audience is left with a longing. There is a longing for the next chapter, for how we can avoid past mistakes, for how we can do better. And while we wait for Larissa FastHorse and other Indigenous playwrights to lead the way, Altarena Playhouse could make a start with a land acknowledgment in the preshow announcements, in the program, and on their website. THE THANKSGIVING PLAY runs through November 24th.

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