ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Attic Salt Theatre Company is in the middle of their run of “The Thanksgiving Play,” a satire written by Lakota playwright Larissa FastHorse about a group of white teachers attempting to craft a politically-correct Thanksgiving play for their students.

“The Thanksgiving Play” is directed by Gabby Bailey and stars Christy Montesdeoca as Logan, Jon Stockdale as Jaxton, Alan Steele as Caden and Emily Greene as Alicia.

The show runs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday from Nov. 7-23 at Attic Salt Theatre Arts Space, 2002 Riverside Dr.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here.

“The Thanksgiving Play” review

The best parts of Bailey’s take on Larissa FastHorse’s “The Thanksgiving Play” were when the show reflected an open contempt for its characters. FastHorse’s script features four characters, Logan, Jaxton, Caden and Greene, each aspirant actors and all culturally parasitic in their own special ways.

Logan and Jaxton, a diversity grant-obsessed educator and yoga instructor, respectively, were the most obliquely obnoxious of the lot. Montesdeoca and Stockdale clearly took great pleasure dialing up the ridiculous nature of their performatively P.C. parts, but they nailed their laugh lines not by acting outlandish, but by satirizing something undeniably “Asheville.”

From the man bun, bangles and open-toed shoes of their costumes to the prayer flags adorning the classroom set to gags about the duo’s veganism, Logan and Jaxton felt hilariously personal to the character of Asheville, a city I am proud to be born and raised in. Like Attic Salt artistic director Jeff Catanese remarked in an address before the show, “if you’re offended, it’s probably about you.” In order to make its point about racism inherent to the American Thanksgiving tradition, Bailey, Montesdeoca and Stockdale painted “The Thanksgiving Play” in Asheville Americana.

To be clear, the Attic Salt production is not a takedown of earnest efforts to respect cultural diversity, including in our city. FastHorse’s play is about the fallacy of building on a cracked foundation, not a farce about treating people with dignity and courtesy. The show is a sharp critique of a holiday tradition and the history surrounding it, not an endorsement of the characters’ behavior.

Fortunately, Montesdeoca, Stockdale, Steele and Greene were each wholly in on the joke. The actors gave frankly fearless performances as their four feckless characters. Stockdale, in particular, was haughtily hilarious, but his co-stars weren’t pulling punches, either. When Bailey let her actors cook, the resulting Thanksgiving meal was delicious.

However, what is a Thanksgiving feast without feeling a little too stuffed?

While “The Thanksgiving Play” was sharp as could be when moving forward, there were pockets of dead air bloating the Attic Salt production. One confusing, overlong segment was a wordless, endless performance of “improv” by the characters. Another were interstitials of actual classroom activities – which were alarmingly offensive, it’s true – performed by the actors through several obnoxious puppets in high-pitched voices. Neither of these landed, mostly by overstaying their welcome. “The Thanksgiving Play” was excellent when the performers were onstage and chewing on FastHorse’s lean, mean, very funny words. The rest could’ve been lopped off – or at the very least, cut down – and the show would’ve been even better for it.

As Thanksgiving approaches in Asheville, we could all learn a lesson or two from “The Thanksgiving Play.” The Attic Salt players are great teachers.