Like all good satire, The Thanksgiving Family destroys all its targets: the holiday of Thanksgiving itself, children’s theater, American history, veganism, spirituality, racism, and progressive education. The play by Larissa Fasthorse gleefully stays on the comic attack for 90 swift minutes, demolishing everything in its path, leaving bodies on the ground and blood on the walls. Logan (Samantha Sloyan) is a much-harried elementary school teacher who, because of her theater background—six weeks in L.A. trying to find work as an actor—has been tasked with putting together a Thanksgiving play that will entertain the student body—and their mettlesome parents. At first, Logan and her helper/lover Jaxton (Noah Bean) consider mounting a typical holiday show replete with tepees, bows and arrows, needy Pilgrims, and kindly, paternalistic Indians. Then these two well-meaning, politically correct white Americans realize how wrong this stereotypical approach is and decide to write their own Thanksgiving show, one that will reflect progressive values. First thing they do is cast a professional actress, Alicia (Alexandra Henrikson), in the lead role of a Native American strong woman. Trouble is, Alicia only poses as a Native American in her headshots to get work. Basically, she is a bimbo who relishes in her sexuality and is proudly ignorant of history and current events. Rounding out the cast is Caden (Jeff Marlow), a goofy, overly earnest history teacher who has volunteered to write the script to The Thanksgiving Play. A frustrated playwright, he pours heart and soul into the text, only to be stunned when his dutifully researched, precious story turns into bedlam and farce when it is put up on its feet. The four characters in The Thanksgiving Play are caricatures to be sure, and the play’s humor is one-note, but thanks to Fasthorse’s way with jokes and comic invention, I found myself enjoying every minute. The playwright is also blessed with a cast of skilled farceurs and a director (Michael John Garces) who proves masterful at slapstick.
