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On the face of it, Powwow Highway, a production of Amerinda (American Indian Artists) now on view at HERE, is a road trip adventure in which two unlikely partners, both living on the Cheyenne Reservation in Montana, find themselves on a common quest. Buddy Red Bird (Dylan Carusona) has been sent to free his sister Bonnie (Tanis Parenteau) from a New Mexico prison, where she is being held on a trumped up drug charge. The play opens with Bonnie's arrest—a disturbing sequence replete with sirens, flashing lights, and barked orders to surrender herself—during which her two young children are abruptly taken from her. When news of the arrest gets back to the reservation, Aunt Harriet (Donna Brooks) appoints her nephew Buddy to get her out. And because Buddy does not have transportation, he enlists the aid of Philbert (John Scott Richardson), whose clunker of a car becomes "Protector," the war pony that will carry them to the rescue. Buddy is an angry young man with a history of engaging in political battles both within and outside of the Cheyenne Nation. He is sarcastic and condescending toward Philbert, whom he pegs as disengaged and lazy. For his part, Philbert is upbeat and optimistic and lives by paying close heed to his spiritual guides. Rather than heading in a direct line to New Mexico, Philbert opts to take a convoluted route through the Dakotas in order to stop at various sacred sites along the way. Eventually, they wend their way to New Mexico to fulfill their mission. But, really, it is the journey that is the heart of the play, a road trip that includes otherworldly visitations. Aunt Harriet keeps showing up in the most unlikely places, and a character called Pale Changer (Bob Jaffe), representing despair and death, comes around to sow fear and discord. The overall performances, under the direction of Madeline Sayet, provide a mix of highly polished stylistic acting (Mr. Jaffe as the scary Pale Changer) and more down-to-earth naturalism. Donna Brooks as Aunt Harriet and John Scott Richardson as Philbert are particularly effective, both able to find the right blend of the practical and the mystical; for them, there is no separation between the two parts of their lives. Unfortunately, the equally important character of Buddy had been shaped without much subtlety. He is simply too angry most of the time. The play, performed almost entirely by American Indian actors, tends to lose momentum by investing too much of its 75-minute running time inside the prison where Bonnie is being held. It is a place where American Indians are treated roughly and without any possibility of hope or justice, and where Pale Changer is a frequent visitor. Another visitor is Bonnie's white friend Rabbit (Anna Rahn), who is taking care of the children and gathering together bail money, though there is some question as to whether she sufficiently understands the complicated combination of family ties, spirituality, and challenges that marks the Indian life. These "message" scenes could have been handled in less blatant ways by incorporating them as snippets within Buddy and Philbert's crossing of the Great Plains. It is a journey in which Philbert's absolute faith carries the day, and where even a Hershey bar can be accepted as a sacred offering simply because it is proffered as one.
Powwow Highway
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