Photo via Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
Leave it to Milwaukee Chamber Theatre to “awaken” us to the “woke” side of Thanksgiving and all of its over-the-top, comical trimmings with The Thanksgiving Play. Written by Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse, TTP brimmeth over with political correctness gone astray and oh, what fun it is (regardless of the seasons). FastHorses’s witty, incisive writing and the excellent cast of four make it all work to hilarious effect given the spot-on direction by Laura Gordon.
Logan (Kelsey Brennan) is an elementary school teacher who’s received numerous grants to “devise” a play about the first Thanksgiving. Her street performer boyfriend, Jaxton (Eric Schabla), is along for the ride as well as older history teacher Caden (Torrey Hanson). The “star” of the show is Alicia (Hannah Shay) who’s hired based on her supposed Native American heritage to guide the show and make it all the more “authentic.”
Problem is, she’s not. Native American. She only acts the part. And that’s when the fun really kicks in.
“So, we’re four white people making a culturally sensitive first Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month”?” Logan exclaims in horror realizing her error. “Oh, my goddess!’ But Alicia in her Valley Girl-ish speak simply responds, “Whatever. It’s theater.”
And that’s what makes TTP the kind of engaging theater that informs, entertains and keeps us watching the entire 90 minutes (no intermission) while smiling and smirking and nodding knowingly at all the attempts to overcompensate and overthink amid the “overwokedness.” This is, after all, theater.
Director Gordon has become a master of staging intimate dramas with few characters. And with TTP, she gets to spread her comedic wings, shepherding a cast that is as “authentic” in their roles as it could possibly get. Brennan’s Logan slowly evolves to see Shay’s Alicia as more than just an actress admired only for her surface beauty. Each helps the other to see look inside themselves for their own inherent worth and value. They’re great roles for both women and they make the most of FastHorse’s sharp dialogue, allowing their characters to show depth and range.
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Ditto for Schabla’s yoga teaching boyfriend who tries hard to walk the “woke talk” but lets glimmers of his true self slip through. And Torrey Hanson delights in what he doesn’t say but expresses non-verbally, his comic timing impeccable. It’s so nice to have you back where you belong, Torrey—on a Milwaukee stage.
“Good drama is, at its core, truth,” explains Logan at the start of the rehearsal. The truth is, we can also add good comedy to that as well starting with The Thanksgiving Play.
The Thanksgiving Play streams through May 23. For more information and to register, visit the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre website.
