"American Pilot": An ambiguous but intimate allegory

Scottish playwright David Greig's play may be called "The American Pilot," but it is not about the Air Force pilot featured in its plot, or any other individual American. Rather, Greig distills, into the form of a pilot, the labyrinth of American global influence for a simple, effective allegory — produced elegantly in its West Coast premiere by Theater Schmeater and director David Gassner.

Greig does not define the remote land where the soldier crash-lands, nor does he give identifying information about the locals who subsequently hold him captive. Religious, poor, entangled in a conflict between idealist rebels and a capitalist government — almost any place, these days.

What context there is comes from a well-executed but still ambiguous design. The costumes (by Julia Evanovich) delicately toe the line between Delhi and Kabul. The kinetic musical scoring (arranged by Andy Clawson, featuring throaty vocals by Daniela Landolfi and tabla by David Brunn) heightens this suggestion, but without exact coordinates.

What we do know, though, is that the object falling from the sky may as well have been a bomb for the magnitude of its shock wave. The Pilot (Daniel Wood) becomes dangerous human currency in the local political economy, stuck between The Captain (Chris MacDonald), who would leverage the soldier as a political message; The Trader (Paul Custodio), who would turn a profit; and Evie (Carolyn Marie Monroe), a farmer's daughter and child visionary who sees the captivating captive as a beacon from God himself. For his part, The Pilot takes the distinctly American tactic of wielding monetary reward and military retaliation as the capitalist's carrot and stick.

Those who know how the world works might predict on what side these forces come to equilibrium, though there are some surprises. The best surprise, though, is how Gassner and his cast manage to make this large-minded parable intimate and personal, a moving tale of how faceless international forces come to bear in the lives of individuals.

Leah B. Green: leahb42@aol.com