Indian Princesses – 09 May 2026

I grew up in San Diego, California, and had many friends who participated in Indian Princesses, though I did not. For those who are unaware, Indian Princesses is kind of like Girl Scouts—well, really, it’s more like Boy Scouts but for girls with the supervision of their fathers, whom they are meant to be bonding with. Indian Princesses off-Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater features a lot of artists who worked on the world premiere, which debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California. The girls in this production are played by adult women, and all five of them are exceptionally skilled at preserving the girls’ ages while also infusing enough nuance into the lines for adult theater goers to have something to laugh at. The fathers take a backseat to their daughters, yet their (mis)guidance is clear in the girls’ behavior. The intergenerational transfer of wisdom is what Indian Princesses was supposed to facilitate, yet in this play, it is revealed to have the possibility of being maladaptive.

Set in 2008, somewhere in the American Midwest, Glen (Frank Wood) sets out to create the most racially diverse Indian Princesses tribe after his granddaughter, Samantha (Haley Wong) was bullied out of her previous tribe for her Asian facial features. The other participants are a political correctness enthusiast, Chris (Greg Keller) and his two indigenous American step-daughters, Lily (Anissa Marie Griego) and Hazel (Serenity Mariana); overprotective adoptive father Wayne (Ben Beckley) and his African American daughter Maisey (Lark White); and Mac (Pete Simpson) and his biological daughter Andi (Rebecca Jimenez), who exists as a painful reminder of his deceased Mexican wife, who he gave up his own family to be with. The first red flag here is that all of these “fathers” are white, and most of them are not actually the father of the girl(s) they are participating in this program with. How can these white men raise strong women of color without understanding what it’s like to live in their shoes? The answer is, they can’t.

Each father figure ends up failing his daughter in some way: refusing to discuss the truth of their circumstances, over-discussing the truth of their circumstances, and the girls ultimately turn to each other, forging strong bonds with one another. The play follows their growth from girls who are struggling to understand their place in the world to young women who are more grounded in reality, not because of the guidance of their white male guardians, but in spite of them. The design elements are all very strong. The primary thing missing from this review is what makes Indian Princesses such a delight to watch: it’s hilarious. Lark White’s deadpan delivery is a highlight, as are Anissa Marie Griego’s dance moves and Greg Keller’s sincere commitment to being an asshole. The script (Eliana Theologides Rodriguez) is tight and gives each character nuance, purpose, and a unique identity/archetype to add to the dynamic. The combination of these distinct individuals makes for a fun-filled ride for the audience, as we laugh at the lack of self awareness on the part of the fathers and the lack of self consciousness on the part of the daughters.

Indian Princesses is surprising the whole way through, with every twist and turn sparking interesting conversations and dialogues for the audience. It is well worth a trip.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.