Indian Country Today has an article about Arigon Starr's one-woman show, "The Red Road," at the Autry National Center's Wells Fargo Theatre in Los Angeles.
The article describes the play:
Loaded with good-natured jabs at everything from Anglos who love Indians to intertribal backbiting, Starr builds empathy for all the characters that converge during a busy day in the 1970s at the All Nations Cafe on legendary Route 66 in Sapulpa, Okla.
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Starr masterfully builds the play's momentum as she morphs smoothly through a diversity of characters, ages and genders, from kind-hearted diner owner Verna Yahola, a Creek Indian trucker's widow struggling to make ends meet while caring for her teenaged niece, who is suffering from an identity crisis; to Pawnee organizer of Indian causes Richard Doolittle and his prima donna activist sister, Bonnie; to Emmit, the diner's beloved Navajo fry cook; the handsome and stoic Merle Yahola Jr.; a bingo-loving, insightful Chippewa elder; a vivacious Choctaw country singer; an innocent 9-year-old Kiowa Beatles fan; a Creek disc jockey who broadcasts his live show from the cafe; and an English punk rocker who wants Verna to be his personal guide on a tour through Indian country.
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The melting pot of Sapulpa along Route 66 is a fitting setting to make the point. Known as the ''Main Street of America,'' the road converges with four other thoroughfares here, and a string of mom-and-pop diners and old-fashioned service stations serve a cornucopia of truckers, Indians and hillbillies, along with a steady stream of tourists eager to experience a slice of genuine Americana.
In case you're wondering, the All Nations Cafe doesn't exist in Sapulpa. It was inspired by a truck stop / lounge in Washington state.
Indian Country Today gives the play a thumbs-up.
Here's Arigon Starr's Web site. And holy cow, she met Brian May, lead guitarist of Queen.
The play runs at the Autry National Center through the end of April. The center's Web site is here. Starr's performing schedule is here.
Starr also is selling the soundtrack to "The Red Road."