Beaver Gap, 1970s, badly needed economic growth, so its Council decided to rename the town to attract more tourists and add to its residents. Consumeristic choice: adopt WWII Native American military hero’s name and put his body in a big memorial that can attract visitors. Good or bad move? Visit Joe Whitefeather has the community development story being televised now, an interview with a prominent early participant in it.
A stunning three-part set shows the TV interview on one side; on the other. past scenes of private decisions and actions taken about the change. The center, backed by various projections, depicts Council meetings and surrounding interactions, an influential librarian in her post, a funeral director’s suggested needs, and other official and real actions and decisions, including pacifying a relative of the corpse.
It turns out Joe Whitefeather was not heroic, never came near Beaver Gap, and everything is more expensive than Council leader Walt (Kraig Swartz, coping commendably) dreamed. Jared Sellick’s Funeral Director persuasively comes up with one necessity or enhancement after another. Ellie Mooney believably reacts going with or anti the flow of town deliberations.
It’s good to see longtime FST feature player Kim Crow return as the Senior Lucy, likeably narrating what happened. London Carlisle as Marcus the televiser notably questions the morality of past decisions. Those were not easily conformed to by younger Lucy, as Malka Wallick always made clear. She was attracted to Britt Michael Gordon’s prismatic Council member Bob, as he was to her, but neutrality or accepting “something better than nothing” wasn’t her style.
Anat Cogan is effective as Cierra, claimant to Joe Whitefeather's body. She made a great past impediment to the Council’s plan. Young Lucy learned more both from her and about her than the others did. The revelation of all by Lucy in the present makes for a sharp conclusion that slightly dims the comedic nature of the play’s action.
As usual, Kate Alexander’s direction is uncluttered, a difficult task attached to this play. She emphasizes the comic whenever possible. The audience seemed to favor this on the night I attended. Still, the avoidance of the deeper problems regarding the morality of business and much of the foolishness of consumers, along with the creation of false heroes (thus detraction from real historic heroes) could use some more attention from talented writer Bruce Graham.
