Dezart Performs is kicking off its new season with The Thanksgiving Play, written by Larissa FastHorse, a name you just have to love. Michael Shaw, who directed the work, told me the company invited her to see this production, but she declined, because she’s in New York preparing a new play.
It’s been a busy year for FastHorse: The Thanksgiving Play made its Broadway debut earlier this year!
The open set, designed by the incomparable Jimmy Cuomo, greets us with his amazing use of space, filling the stage with a high school classroom (“anywhere but the Los Angeles area,” our program sternly reports). I am a bit dubious when a word such as hilarious is used when presenting a play, but this show does turn out to be funny—and gets good laughs from the very start.
The first thing that happens is a ragtag group gets up to sing a version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” … but it has been translated into a Native American-respecting version that starts: “On the first day of Thanksgiving, the Natives gave to me … .” Lyrics are provided in the program, and the audience is supposed to sing along. The singing group tries to help by holding up drawings of what they are singing about. Yes, it is a bit of a mess (an intentional one), but they all make it through … and so does the audience. Whew.
This sets the tone for the play, which is about a desperate attempt by a teacher to present a play depicting a politically correct version of Thanksgiving in November, which also happens to be Native American Heritage Month. The problems this attempt faces are virtually unending.
Logan, the teacher, is played by Macy Idzakovich. We quickly learn she is involved with Jaxton (Matthew Grondin), who will be one of the actors in her upcoming play. Another teacher, Caden (John Wuchte), has agreed to be in the show, and they are all waiting for Alicia, a professional actress played by Stefania Gonzalez, whom everyone assumes got the role because she’s Native American. You can imagine how THAT turns out.
The problems created by their attempts to be up to date—but oh-so-considerate of any feelings held by absolutely anyone—bring them up against problems like using real fire onstage, Disney World, capitalism versus communism, heritage versus tradition … and an actor’s headshots. If you think this sounds like a crazy mix, wait until you see the play.
At the back of the classroom is a potentially unnoticed puppet stage which suddenly springs to life between the scenes, with four energetic puppets participating. All I will say is: Brace yourself.
The “actors,” all who take themselves and their craft very seriously, agree to improvise the play, since there is no actual script for them to follow. This results in possibly the funniest part of the play, as they mime—with sounds—eating corn.
The real actors are all talented and funny, evenly matched in energy and skill, and they all have fleshed out their roles beautifully. They are all busy all the time, and you may wish to see The Thanksgiving Play more than once so you could individually watch every one of them.
Idzakovich’s Logan is a bit of a plain-Jane teacher (to start) worried sick about presenting a Thanksgiving play that is correct in every possible way—though we find out later that she has a reason to do so besides mere political correctness. Grondin, as Jaxton, has his best moment when he celebrates being a straight white male, which he declares is “an endless minefield.”
Wuchte’s Caden has a wonderfully expressive face that hosts an impressive variety of expressions, which roll from one to another easily, reflecting his thoughts. As the oldest actor of the bunch, Cader reveals that he is also a writer, and this introduces another whole line for the plot. Wuchte is very watchable.
Gonzalez is a scene-stealer as Alicia. She, too, has a wide variety of facial expressions which she uses perfectly. Alicia has learned that being an actress and a hottie has given her a lot of personal and professional power, and she uses this power at will—although she has some very real moments, especially with Logan.
The blocking is wonderful; Michael Shaw has outdone himself in using the actors to not only fill the space, but to establish an unflagging pace for this one-act show. There are some excellent moments that leave us bedazzled; for example, the “actors” preparing themselves to do a scene. Was this was part of FastHorse’s script, or did it come from the director’s mind? Who cares? The result is delightful.
Clark Dugger is in charge of the sound, and he achieves flawless quality. Hats off also to Rick Bluhm (lighting), Christine Cover Ferro (costumes), Tom O’Brien (technical direction), Greg Thorneycroft (props manager) and Paul James Tenaglia (production stage manager).
The Thanksgiving Play is a great start to Dezart’s new season!
Dezart Performs’ production of The Thanksgiving Play is performed at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m., Sunday; and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $48, and the show runs an hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission. For more information, call 760-322-0179, or visit www.dezartperforms.com.
Loved it. Glad to be able to review everything, good job!