Time Immemorial

A production created and performed by Jack Dalton and Allison Warden; directed by Pincess Lucaj; produced at Cyrano’s Theater

More people HAVE to see this play. It’s a supurb trip through the history of Alaska from the point of view of two Alaska Natives, Tulu and Miti, who are present at the beginning of time, alone together in the midst of infinite darkness with a single glowing ember of light between them, which the bumbling Tulu keeps trying to steal. As the play unfolds, Tulu and Miti pass through eight different relationships: brothers; husband and wife; elder and child; mother and son; sisters; brother and sister; father and daughter; grandmother and grandson. They tell stories together of Alaska Native history—for instance, the husband and wife argue about the coming of white missionaries. “Their God only asks us for one day out of seven,” the husband says, arguing that things can’t be that bad. But of course, they are. The play is wonderfully rich in well-researched historical detail. As an audience, we bear witness to the way that Alaska Native families have been torn apart by plagues and assimilationist boarding schools, by oil company contracts and alcohol. The material is often gut wrenching, but the warm, effervescent, and masterful performances of Dalton and Warden keep the audience engaged and laughing. The only weak point is a prolonged final scene where Tulu and Miti meet again in the void where they began. I got a feeling that two performer–authors kept drawing the scene out because they weren’t quite ready to let go of the rich and meaningful piece of theater they’d created. They can’t be blamed for wanting to dwell a little longer in the light they’ve shone on history in all its tragic glory, but the stronger choice would be to end things a little sooner and leave the audience to deal on its own with the magnitude of the work presented.