Literary Analysis of Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer by Kevin Loring

Most Canadians are likely aware that Canada has a long and sad history of imposing forced resettlement upon its aboriginal people, who have suffered a loss of traditional territory in the face of agricultural development and industrialization.  In his play, Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer, Kevin Loring highlights some of the hardships that these Indigenous people endure. The Play is currently hosted at the Belfry Theatre on the Lkwungen (Lekwungen) peoples' traditional territories in Victoria, British Columbia. The rustic setting seems warm and authentic, incorporating suitable lighting effects and visuals. The play focuses on an aboriginal, middle-aged man named Little Red (played by actor, Sam Bob), the last of his people, who has been recently dispossessed of his land by the march of industrialization. In a moment of rage, Red strikes a construction worker building a new development on Red’s traditional land, and Red winds up in jail, charged with both assault and – here is the ultimate irony – trespassing. Overall, the play succeeds because of its warm atmosphere, clever use of satirical comedy, and ability to pull at the audience’s heartstrings. 

The atmosphere at The Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer is a unique concoction of ingredients: the venue, the audience, and the cast. For starters, the venue is a restored nineteenth-century Catholic church, and it offers a rustic and authentic atmosphere. Additionally, the lighting and visual effects energize the crowd, making the experience more participatory and enjoyable. Furthermore, public health restrictions have recently been relaxed, allowing the theatre to operate at full capacity, effectively bringing more life to the play. Attending the live performance evokes abroad range of emotion; everyone in the crowd participates in the emotional experience, laughing, cheering, and clapping along. The living, breathing audience brings out a special kind of energy, and the cast feeds off of it. The crowd’s enthusiasm helps the performers establish a bond with their audience, allowing them to raise their game and put on a better performance overall. The atmosphere of The Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer is a feast for the senses.

Comedy permeates the entire play and includes dull humour, political satire, and unexpectedly hilarious twists and turns. The characters in the play bounce dull humour off of each other. In one typical example, Red mocks Larry’s choice of vehicle, calling his Volvo a “vulva,” and in response, Larry uses his intimidation tactics, such as taunting him with, “What’s the matter, can’t handle penitentiary love?” These dull humour moments add considerable spice to the show and keep the audience laughing. Additionally, the play includes slow-motion effects and hyperbolic props to build up humour and, overall, make it more uproarious. For example, throughout the various trials, the judge's gavel becomes larger with each shift to a higher court. Furthermore, the play employs political satire. When Red and Larry try to get in the mood for their upcoming court case, they practice their boxing moves while the Rocky soundtrack roars. Finally, at the end of the play, there are some unexpected moments of humour. Red, aware that he is losing his court battle, summons the queen, who turns out to be a drag queen dancing on a stripper pole. Loring’s comedic injections lightened the mood of the play, despite the frequently dark subject matter, and this is a welcome bomb for any audience in these pandemic times. It feels good to laugh, forget about life, and live in the moment.

Greed, industrialization, and cultural loss are hard-hitting themes embedded in the play. Greed is manifest throughout. For starters, Larry took on Red’s case only because there was a lot of money involved. Both lawyers, Larry and Desdemona, wear flashy clothing, drive luxury vehicles, and fixate on their hefty paycheques. As the play progresses, we see greed infecting a widening circle of characters. Indeed, at the end of the play, Red strikes a deal with the drag queen, selling his property. We can see that his persona has been radically altered, bearing a discomforting resemblance to the two money-grubbing attorneys. Money has the power to change people, and this story highlights the power of greed in transforming people’s perceptions. And greed powers the advance of the industrial society that causes Red’s territory to be taken over by a land-developing firm. Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer examines materialism, modernization, and cultural loss; these are the antagonists in the story of every aboriginal people in the Americas.

Overall, the play is a phenomenal success because of the atmosphere, humour and emotional sentiment. This was my first play, and it was wonderful to watch it with my classmates and made even more special by the venue itself, the historical Belfy Theatre. I happily recommend this play to anyone, even those with little political curiosity because it’s chock-full of comedic surprise and humour. The features, greed and theft of territory, hits pretty close to home for many of us, myself included. We are all visitors to native territory, and industrialization, agriculture, and urban development has consumed a large portion of our land. In one recent example, a roadway under renovation on indigenous property in my hometown, Kamloops, BC, turned out to be an ancestral burial ground. On this and all other native territories, our ancestors have lived for generations, earning the right to a place at the table in decisions about its future. Furthermore, the story contained a deeper meaning, and it helped enlighten me on some of the difficulties that Indigenous peoples still face today.