Tuesday, August 4, 2020

262. THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE. From my (unpublished) ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE NEW YORK STAGE, 1970-1975

John Kauffman.

THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE [Dramatic Anthology/Native Americans] A: Wayne Johnson and John Kauffman; D: Gregory A. Falls; S: Bill Forrester; L: Jody Briggs; P: Zean Production Company; T: Playhouse 2 (OB); 10/23/73 (1)

This one-night failure featured part-German, part-Nez Perce Indian John Kauffman in a series of brief sketches that both provided information about Native American lore and offered examples of writing, historical and contemporary, about Native American life. Kauffman changed his Indian gear frequently, thus adding color and visual interest to his presentation. His partner, John Aylward, served chiefly to introduce each of the selections by introducing its source. Otherwise, the piece might have been technically considered a solo show.

Mel Gussow found much of the work repetitious and “inflated,” presented in a manner “stiff and untheatrical.”