Usually when I go to review a show, I avoid Googling its plot or reading other reviews beforehand. I prefer the tabula rasa approach – going into it with the proverbial clean slate, not knowing what to expect. When it’s an original play like the Chenango River Theatre’s current production of “Yankee Tavern,” I have no choice but to head into it blind. And often that’s a good thing – having to figure out plots and character motivations on the fly, with no preconceived notions of what’s coming next.

With “Yankee Tavern,” I went into the second act having no idea where this play was going. To say that this one takes some byzantine turns is an understatement. And while some of those turns had me scratching my head, it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat.