From the acclaimed playwright who brought to ACT the world premiere of Becky’s New Car (2008), comes the Seattle premiere of Yankee Tavern, a taut edge of your seat political thriller written and directed by Steven Dietz.
Set in a New York dive bar five years after 9/11, Yankee Tavern tells the story of tavern owner Adam (Shawn Telford), his fiancée Janet (Jennifer Lee Taylor), and two barflies, Ray (Charles Leggett) a conspiracy buff with theories about everything from marriage (“secretly financed by an offshore consortium of big-box stores”) to the fall of communism (“a Communist plot!”), and the mysterious Palmer (R. Hamilton Wright), who seems to know more than he should about the events that forever changed the landscape of our country and our psyche.
This is a surprising, witty, and interesting play, which poses characters and situations that are every bit as interesting as the main thrust of the plot. The script is strong and well acted, with splendid performances by Legett and Taylor. Shawn Telford seems miscast in his role, and is the one weak point of the show. Everything else, from sound design to costumes, from the blinking "Hotel" sign to the subtle lighting from the door, is impeccable in this world premiere production.
From the first lines to the mysterious twists all the way through the stunning finale, no line is misspoken or misplaced. The production is tight, fascinating, and touching.
Yankee Tavern is far from Dietz's introduction to Seattle. He has a long standing relationship with ACT, and productions of this quality show why Seattle and this playwright have formed such a tight bond. This is a must-see for the Seattle theatre-goer.
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