A son's violent death. And a husband's, and a father's. What better way to begin a tale of a fractured family told through three generations of women, particularly when the son, husband, and father are the same good-looking, troubled Navajo? It seems as if the bloody suicide of "the bad son" in his mother's small reservation home is the only ingredient that could bind the four wounded women in Carolyn Dunn's haunting drama—if only for a short time.
Jessie Burns (Jane Lind) is the stone-faced titular matriarch who begrudgingly opens her door to receive her daughters-in-law from California: Carlisle (Shyla Marlin), the "perfect Hollywood Indian" who is married to "the good son," Steven; and the hard-edged Annalee (Kimberly Norris Guerrero), former wife of the formerly wild Paul. Dunn has wonderfully black humor at play here.
Death isn't something to tiptoe around in this house, whether it's the search for pieces of Paul on the walls or talk of Annalee's fatal lung disease. Adding Paul's rebellious teenage daughter Lily (Elizabeth Frances) into the mix is another fun, often dark layer.
But where this beautifully constructed play—each character opens a scene with her own spin on "traditional" frybread—moves into unexpected domestic territory is in its integration of the Native American spiritual world: bone games, rhythmic songs, gambling with spirits, exchanging souls, and "the ghost sickness" that ultimately claimed Paul's life. Each actor does wonderful work and fearlessly dives into the material. Lind's homespun authenticity is a great match for Marlin's peppy poster girl; the raspy Guerrero has just the right world-weary energy to face off with Frances' snarling Lily.
Director Robert Caisley stages the play simply, on a straightforward setting by Susan Scharpf, and makes terrific use of Jayson Ferguson's rich sound design. However, a firmer directorial hand might have helped clarify some of the play's trickier transitions and perhaps found more nuances in the otherwise solid performances.
Presented by Native Voices at the Autry at the Wells Fargo Theater, Autry National Center, 4700 Western Heritage Way, L.A. Mar. 12–27. Thu.–Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. (323) 667-2000, ext. 354. www.nativevoicesattheautry.org.