The off-Broadway production, "The American Pilot" centers on -- you guessed it -- a Swedish architect, er, I mean an American pilot who crash-lands in rebel-occupied territory (a remote village in a nation where the U.S. has been supporting the government). We meet four villagers (the farmer who finds the pilot, his wife, and their 16-year-old daughter; plus a member of the village council), the Captain of the rebel forces, and the Captain's translator. They need to decide what to do with the American, who is handicapped by a broken leg and by total ignorance of the local language. The pilot tries everything he can think of to save himself; he shows pictures of his wife and kids and alternately promises rewards for those who help and vengeance from his men if anyone hurts him. (Only the threats get translated; the translator is not totally fluent in English.) The daughter has a messianic streak, and takes a shine to the American. Her father and mother feel compassion for the American, but want to stay out of trouble (and find a husband for the daughter). The Captain is washed up and ready to quit rebelling. The translator thinks it would make him feel better to kill the American (his financee was killed by an American missile. The councilman is looking for a profit. Meanwhile, the Captain wants to set up the sweet, messainic daughter with his boorish and pornography-obsessed translator; and the mother is willing to pressure her daughter into this repulsive match in order to save one of her sons from having to join the rebel forces.
The play was well done and engaging, and I didn't predict the end.
However, once you see the way things work out, there's not much to reflect on - no provocative themes or characters to deconstruct for hours afterward. In fact, in a way, the end (although plausible) is a bit of a cop-out.
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