Review: COWBOYS AND EAST INDIANS Defies Assumptions at DCPA

DCPA Theatre Company's legacy of "outdoing" themselves continues with their latest world premiere production of Cowboys and East Indians, based on the short story collection by Nina McConigley and written by McConigley and Matthew Spangler. Originally produced as part of DCPA's 2024 Colorado New Play Summit, this new play comes at just the right time given the greater discourse taking place across the country. Cowboys and East Indians tells the story of an Indian husband and wife who relocate to Wyoming for work and suddenly find themselves the only Indian folks amongst mountains of white snow and people. In a separate time, the daughter of our married couple grapples with her own sense of belonging and loss. At face value, you may think you know all that this story has to offer - and you would be incorrect. 

The play is certainly multi-layered - it tackles not only the idea of immigration and all therein, but issues of secrecy, trust, and the protection of one's own self. Directed by Chris Coleman, the cast and crew have produced a show with immense thoughtfulness. Scenic Designer Chika Shimizu has created a minimal, yet detailed, set that works well in the more intimate Singleton Theatre complemented nicely by Lighting Designer Amith Chandrashaker's contributions. Meghan Anderson Dyole as Costume Designer also took hold of the opportunity within the pages of the script to help bring to life this story through cultural fashions. 

The ensemble cast does a great job of presenting nuanced characters where others would stop at stereotypical. I say that to mean do not assume you know these characters, where they've been, and where they're headed. Christopher Kelly as Richard Larson is a prime example of this notion. There are moments early on in the show that lead the audience to believe Larson's intentions are nefarious and for the truth to be revealed later on in the production. Kelly does a masterful job of playing with the idea of a red herring. Colorado theater veteran Shannan Steele is back at DCPA in all her glory. Like Kelly, Steele presents visually your archetypal, conservative white woman only to spin that narrative on its head and provide a layered performance as Nancy.

Sadithi De Zilva as our lead and narrator Lakshmi "Lucky" Sen does well enough, but I struggled at times with her delivery feeling a touch inauthentic. Her emphasis felt a little like that viral social media audio, "Yep that's me! You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation..." Shawn K. Jain as Rajah Sen is calm and collected in his role but I think that leaves room for more highs and lows throughout his performance, especially given his character is prominent in both timelines of the show. There's an opportunity therein to portray an older man versus his younger counterpart more playfully.

Minita Gandhi as our mother character, Chitra, is an incredible standout in the show. Before Gandhi even utters their first lines, their face does all the talking and immediately captures the audience's attention. Gandhi's interpretation gives off a familiarity - I felt that I knew Chitra in my own life - that is so genuine that it seems it would be significantly hard to replicate. In short, Gandhi's performance is enamoring.