At the Mark Taper Forum, the Native American playwright’s new comedy is a World Premiere to cherish and remember. Her cutting edge humor skewers cancel culture and political correctness with precision and humor.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 02-08-2025
It is not easy to pull off a farce; when it does not work, the failures are often spectacular. However, Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse and Cuban Director Michael John Garcés have come together to deliver a farcical triumph at the Mark Taper Forum. Indeed, the world premiere of Fake It Until You Make It is impressive, almost beyond words. Funny and cutting, edgy and sweet, the play captures a profound slice of the modern-day experience of liberal identity politics, culture, and relationships.
An Edgerton Foundation Commission awarded to Center Theatre Group for the world premiere, the play is produced in association with Arena Stage. What a gift to host the world premiere of such an incredible production. Meet Wynona (Tonantzin Carmelo), the Native American proprietor of N.O.B.U.S.H., and River (Julie Bowen), her white counterpart at Indigenous Nations Soaring, as their intense rivalry takes over the lives of everyone around them.
Commenting on the comedy in the program, in a playful back-and-forth between the playwright and the director, Larissa FastHorse comments, “But I also think that farce is probably the best and most authentic way to address politics, culture, academia, and the arts at the present moment. It’s absolutely bonkers out there.”
Bonkers is the perfect word to describe the most outstanding aspect of the play. By combining themes that would make most writers tread warily on the thin ice of cancel culture with a madcap energy that feels like an old Preston Sturgess comedy with a touch of Charlie Chaplin, the creators create something perfectly palatable. Comedy is the great equalizer, allowing touchy themes to be explored in a digestible way for practically any audience.
With wonderful characters in a renovated building turned into a home for Indigenous nonprofit organizations, Fake It Until You Make It expands front-page issues, delving into identity politics beyond gender and sexuality. In the context of the play, race is suddenly up for grabs as fundraising depends on a specified identity that suddenly feels fluid and questionable. In the bold new comedy, friends and foes within the non-profit sector collide left and right like pinballs on the two floors of the play’s setting. In a whirlwind of competition that blows with envy and desire, jealousy and ambition, surprising revelations become the name of the game.
If you want to see a play that is challenging and funny, smart and goofy, insightful and madcap, then Fake It Until You Make It is the choice to make. With a talented cast and beautiful scenic design by Sara Ryung Clement, this farce is a real gem that is not a rhinestone, even if it sometimes wants to be to get one more hearty laugh. There is no doubt that Larissa FastHorse and Michael John Garcés are two creative forces to watch moving forward in the theatre and beyond.
Photos by Makela Yepez Courtesy of the Center Theatre Group