Picking Up the Punch Lines | "Fake It Until You Make It" @ CTG/Mark Taper

A few years ago, the Center Theatre Group was about to produce its first commission of a piece by a Native American playwright, as part of a season celebrating diverse voices and authors. But an internal financial crisis happened,  and the show was cancelled while the theatre regrouped. It finally made it to the stage a year or two later… but by then, the administration in Washington changed, giving a bunch of different meanings to the play (for example, the line “She put a MAGA sticker on my Telsa” has a completely different meaning now than it did two years ago). Reviewers looking at the show now seem to be focused on how the Trumpian lens changes things. We saw the show yesterday, and I came away thinking something different.

The show, if you haven’t figured it out by now, is Fake It Until You Make It‘, written by Larissa Fasthorse. The last performance is today; it then moves to the Arena Stage in Washington DC, where I’m sure it will have a different reception under this administration than it would under Biden. But then again, they may not see it at all as the Trump folks don’t strike me as the type that cares about theatre.

At its broadest, Fake It tells the story of a number of non-profits that work with the Native American communities. One is run by a young Native American woman, Wynona. The other is run by a non-Native (i.e., White) woman. These organizations share a small space with two other organizations, one some form a legal-aid group run by Grace, and the other support Native American Two-Spirit folks, run by Krys. In order to be eligible for a government grant, the organizations require Native American involvement, so River is hiring a Native American co-director, and River mistakes Winona’s white boyfriend, Theo, as this Native American applicant, Mark. Add to this a custody battle over a pussycat and loads of bad blood between Winona and River, and the situation is set.

The setup of the story makes this clear: It is a farce. There is mistaken identity, sexual innuendo aplenty, lots of timing games and slamming of doors. I could easily imagine making a farce afternoon of it, pairing this show with Noises Off currently playing at the Geffen. When viewed as a farce or even as a sitcom, this is very very funny. In fact, one could see this easily optioned into a sitcom: it could likely entertain episode storytelling in this suite of offices quite well.

As noted above, there are aspects of the show that just haven’t aged well as we’ve entered in an error that abhors DEI and diversity. Government grants such as the ones in this show that support underserved communities are gone. Requirements for diversity in hiring are gone. The premise has become dated; for some, that destroys the humor of the piece. I disagree, but I do see the impact. As I noted above, the line from River about Wynona putting a MAGA sticker on her Tesla has a completely different meaning now. Back then, having a Tesla was virtue signaling for progressives; now, Teslas are seen as support for Elon Musk, who is an arm of the Trump administration and a clear Nazi supporter. That’s a 180° change in meaning.

There are some notions in the piece that are quite thought provoking: primarily, the notion expressed by Grace of “race-shifting”. She takes the notion of gender identity and extends it to the notion of racial identity. Grace’s argument is: If one can “identify” as male or female based on what the brain feels, as opposed to what is physically present, then why not extend that to race? Why can’t a white person who considers themselves culturally black “identify” as a black person? Why can’t someone identify as “Native American”? One might argue that this is ad-absurdum pro-Conservative or MAGA argument attempting to show how silly the idea of Gender identity is. After all, they made fun of trans folks by talking about folks identifying as cats or dogs.  But, on the other hand, it is an equally valid complaint against the progressive side: the same folks who argue for self-determined gender identity refuse to accept it for racial identities. [Meanwhile, we Jews laugh: Anyone can convert into Judaism.] But it is a serious thought question: Why are “trans” notions accepted for gender and not race? That question is at the heart of this play. Unfortunately, it isn’t resolved or even dealt with deeply; it is played more for laughs. But, then again, cross-dressing started out as a play for laughs.

There are other issues brought up as well. Wynona doesn’t want to marry Theo because she is Native American and he is white, and she wants to preserve the genetics of her tribe. The government wants Native American involvement in the operations of these non-profits because it believes that a 100% white run organizations won’t work in the interests of Native Americans. There is lots of talk of the colonization of Native American lands by white people, and the need for reparations. All interesting issues, and all playing into the swirling argument about what DEI is, and whether DEI is good … and, from the MAGA point of view, whether DEI has actually been discriminatory for the white community.

When one strips away the racial aspects of this story, it devolves rather quickly into the sitcom tropes: mistaken identity, sexual jokes. In some ways, I’m not sure this play knows what it wants to be. Is it a sitcom/farce? Is it a commentary on the idea of “trans” and gender identity? Is it a commentary on DEI and an over-emphasis on race and race requirements? What does it say that a Native-American playwright is the one bringing up these issues, which are arguably not all that progressive? All good questions; none are answered by this play.

Oh, and of course the last question: How will this play in the early days of the Trump 47 administration? Will any of his cronies go see this, and how will it land with their mindset. Will the reception be different in MAGA Washington DC from progressive Los Angeles CA?

Normally, the next question would be: Should go to see it? On the surface, the answer is easy. The show closes today, and by the time this review hits, you might be able to catch the last matinee or evening show, but that’s it. Then its off to DC. But were it staying, should you see it? I think so. It is a very funny show, and raises quite a few interesting questions (and I never even talked about the running joke with the pussy).

OK, I will. What is it with CTG and their animosity towards cats? First, there was The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Taper back in 2010 (with a remarkable cast, looking back: Zoe Perry and Chris Pine). Inishmore revolved around a bloody fight over a cat. Then we have Fake It, which again has at its heart a fight over an unseen cat. If I were a feral cat anywhere near the Taper, I’d keep far far away. That place is feckin’ dangerous for pussys.

In any case, Fake It Until You Make It was quite funny, and quite thought provoking. I found it well worth seeing.

———

Fake It Until You Make It. Written by Larissa FastHorse. Directed by Michael John Garcés.

Cast: Noah Bean Theo; Eric Stanton Betts Mark; Julie Bowen River; Tonantzin Carmelo Wynona; Brandon Delsid Krys; Dakota Ray Hebert Grace. Understudies: Aleisha Force u/s River; Burgandi Trejo Phoenix u/s Wynona, u/s Grace; Kenny Ramos u/s Krys, u/s Mark; Josh Bywater u/s Theo.

Production and Creative: Sara Ryung Clement Set Designer; E. B. Brooks Costume Designer; Tom Ontiveros Lighting Designer; John Nobori Sound Designer; Janell Turley Wig, Hair, and Make-Up Designer; Edgar Landa Fight Director; Kim WIlliams Casting; David S. Franklin Production Stage Manager; Miriam E. Mendoza Stage Manager; Jessa Calderon (https://www.jessacalderon.com/) Mural Art – Searching the Galaxy; River Garza (https://www.rivergarza.com/) Mural Art – Sky Coyote and The Angelino; Marlena Myles (https://marlenamyl.es/) Mural Art  – Unči Makhá’s Shawl.

Favorite Minor Credit: Indigenious Direction Indigeneity Trainings and Consultations.

♦ ♦ ♦

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• March: ✡ MOTAS Poker Tournament at TAS; ♦ Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 at UCLA TFT; ♦ 44 at CTG/Kirk Douglas; ♣ Broadway Classics at Santa Clarita Symphony; ♣ Musique/Ray Charles at CTG/Taper; ♦ Cabaret at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ Drat the Cat at Group Rep; ✡ MoTAS/MoTBH Mens Seder at TAS
• April:  ◊ Ren Faire (Southern); ✡ First Night of Passover; ⌬ California Science and Engineering Fair; ♦ All The Devils Are Here at the Broad;
• May:  ♦Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical at Rubicon Theatre; ♦ Life of Pi at CTG/Ahmanson; ⊕ ♦ Spitfire Grill at Actors Co-Op; ♦ A Dolls House, Part 2 at Pasadena Playhouse.
• June: ⊕ ♦ Flower Drum Song at East West Players; ♦ Parade at CTG/Ahmanson; and possibly some Hollywood Fringe Festival shows.

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