The satirical farce genre isn’t commonly utilized for global majority stories but it is always most welcome to see. Such is the case for the world premiere of Larissa FastHorse‘s Fake It Until You Make It at the Center Theatre Group (in association with Arena Stage) which sets its story in the Indigenous non-profit sector in the most wacky manner. While it is occasionally rough and uneven in terms of the comedic writing, the play is overall a romping good time that has some wonderful physical comedy moments to be remembered for.
Meet Wynona, the Native American proprietor of N.O.B.U.S.H., and River, her white counterpart at Indigenous Nations Soaring. Their escalating rivalry ensnares colleagues and bystanders, leading to the unraveling of secrets that highlight the absurdities of ambition and authenticity. Amidst the laughter, genuine connections form, emphasizing the value of unexpected paths to success. Fake It Until You Make It takes an absurd look at what defines who we are, and the lengths some people will go through to change it.
The opening starts off pretty rough as the writing does not do the characters any favor in terms of firmly establishing them to why we should root for them as it went hard for jokes and gags right from the get-go. Satirical farces are notoriously difficult to nail and when it doesn’t, it comes off rather cringe. Thankfully, the play eventually finds its groove after a rather rocky start as the ensemble cast keeps up their commitment with everything they got. Some jokes throughout the show don’t land that well as the frequent mention of one of the character’s cat as “River’s p**sy” gets old rather fast as does the stuffed cat being thrown around the stage multiple times to varying comedic effect.
The real strength of the show lies in the physical comedy and there are some terrific set pieces that director Michael John Garcés does a fantastic job in assembling together with Tonantzin Carmelo, Noah Bean, Julie Bowen, Brandon Delsid, Dakota Ray Hebert, and Eric Stanton Betts as each and every one of the cast members all provide distinct memorable moments. It is worth mentioning that there is an amusing connection with Noah Bean playing a white guy who assumes a different racial identity as he did a similar thing with David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face in the off-Broadway production back in 2007. Both productions funnily enough also share a few similar strands when it comes to mistaken identities and “race shifting” in terms of deconstructing race.
Despite the play’s few areas of unevenness, I definitely had a good time and would recommend it to others. Most importantly, it is a joy to see Indigenous storytelling from Indigenous artists that does not solely rely on trauma but with comedy. Because in our current times? We most definitely need it. This is the first commissioned Indigenous playwright work at Center Theatre Group and I very much look forward to even more not only from Larissa FastHorse but from other playwrights that deserve the spotlight.
Fake It Until You Make It is performing at the Mark Taper Forum, which is located on 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012 until Sunday, March 9, 2025.
Schedule: Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.;
Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m
Tickets: Prices — begin at $35
Phone — Audience Services at 213.628.2772
In person — Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The
Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012
Groups — CenterTheatreGroup.org/Tickets/Groups-and-Corporate-Offers
Access — Center Theatre Group offers a number of services to accommodate
persons requiring mobility, vision, and hearing access.
For more information, please visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Access.
