At least it is when addressed by River Rep Theatre in the form of Larissa FastHorse’s rollicking comedy, “The Thanksgiving Play.” It’s being presented through Sunday, October 13 at the Delaware Valley Opera Center (DVOC) in Lake Huntington, NY. 

Although I was unfamiliar with the one-act comedy, River Rep sent out a press release quoting a description from Wikipedia. 

“The play centers around a group of four well-meaning but culturally insensitive white theater artists who attempt to create a politically correct elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving while struggling with their own biases and the lack of Native representation.”

“Oh, boy,” I muttered to the dog. “A history lesson, wrapped up in a life lesson, written by a Native American with a chip on her shoulder and a grudge, all wrapped up in some kind of woke comedy. This thing had better be funny.” 

I’m hardly an activist, but truth be told, I’m pretty sure that I’m already “woke,” since by definition it means “alert to and concerned about social injustice and discrimination.” Although these days, the word has somehow been twisted into a derogatory insult being bandied about by (fill in the blank), who aren’t even slightly interested in social injustice or discrimination. 

Back to the subject at hand.

Doing a little digging on my own, I’ve learned that the play has some history itself, having been written by FastHorse after she received a 2015 fellowship from the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland. This was followed by workshops and readings at U.C. Berkeley, the Artists Repertory Theatre and the Play Lab in Baltimore, MD.

Instead of scratching my head to come up with an original way to describe the premise of “The Thanksgiving Play,” I’ve decided to “let my fingers do the walking” (IYKYK) and allow the internet to do the heavy lifting for me. 

“Logan, the director, [Amy Laird Webb] hires an actress named Alicia, [Lexee McEntee], believing she is Native American, to provide cultural authenticity. However, it is soon revealed that Alicia is actually white and only portrays Native American characters when not playing other ethnicities. Without an authentic Native voice, Logan and her team—which includes her partner Jaxton [Josh Liveright], an overly earnest actor, and Caden [Arthur Aulisi], an enthusiastic yet clueless history teacher—are forced to confront the complexities of privilege while adhering to historical accuracy and school district rules.” 

“But will it be funny?” I once again asked my dog, as we pulled into the lot. 

Thankfully, the answer (IMHO) is yes. “The Thanksgiving Play” is funny.

I’m a fan of the cool DVOC space, although it’s cavernous, which creates issues with acoustics, and I’m not sure that director Christopher Peditto is doing himself any favors by taking on the tasks of set and sound design along with his directorial duties—which he handles with aplomb. 

What I’m not a fan of is theatre folks wearing too many hats, and that also goes for Alyena Galvin-Bliefernich, who tackles costume design, stage management and both sound and light tech, according to the program. I understand that finding backstage technical help is difficult, but these folks could use an assist, which would allow them to concentrate on the things that they do best.

As for the actors, I applaud them all (as did the entire audience, frequently howling with laughter), even though it was often difficult to hear them well, because of the aforementioned acoustics, lack of mics in the sound system or the heavy-handed musical interludes. But each and every performer is accomplished, well-directed and, most importantly, funny. Yes, the play is funny. Fast- paced dialogue; zany, well-drawn characters; and a hilarious salute to all things (not) politically correct add up to a darn good time.

And now for the nitpicking: Honestly, I’d be hard pressed to find fault with the performers and I’m loath to single anyone out, but having seen Arthur Aulisi portray a number of vastly different characters in vastly different productions, I believe it’s safe to say that the guy has serious acting chops and a funny bone to boot. I’m reluctant to say that he stole the show in a well-done ensemble piece, so I won’t.

Lexee McEntee is also talented and funny, but I was so distracted by what she was wearing (which made no sense whatsoever) that it was difficult to concentrate on her performance. Additionally, the character she plays has a lot to say about her hair during the action on stage. So do I, but I won’t.

Amy Laird Webb was also funny, I think. Between a lack of projection and the sound issues, I could neither hear nor understand her, so I’m not sure. Dear Mr. Peditto et al.: please solve this issue. The actors deserve better.

Josh Liveright, as the yoga teacher/wannabe actor, is also pretty darn funny sharing a stage with equally funny people, rounding out the foursome. 

The program indicates that we heard actor Jim Sullivan as “the voice of the principal,” but for the life of me, I did not comprehend a single word. 

Yes, I’m aware that nitpicking is “pointing out minor faults in a fussy or pedantic way” about something that is successful overall, which “The Thanksgiving Play” absolutely is, and that I could probably drone on and on, but I won’t. You’re welcome.

What I will do is recommend seeing this funny play, performed by funny actors, doing and saying funny, funny things, while you still can. For tickets, visit www.myrivertickets.com.