If you ask me…
– Tom Holehan
Pulitzer Prize Winner Opens TheaterWorks Season
The 2023 Pulitzer Prize winning play, “English”, opens TheaterWorks Hartford’s gala 40 th season on the highest of notes. Sanaz Toossi’s remarkable play is as up-to-date as tomorrow’s headlines and is being given a must-see production at the Hartford theatre.
The year is 2008 and four Iranian students, three women and one man of various ages, have assembled for a TOEFL class (Test of English as a Foreign Language) in Karaj, Iran. Their instructor is Marjan (Neagheen Homaifar, perfect!), who has returned from London to her home country under mysterious circumstances. She banishes the use of Iran’s national language in her classroom insisting the students speak English only. The play explores themes of identity and sublimation as teacher and students are torn between embracing the new while clinging to the language and culture they know.
Smartly directed by Arya Shahi, the casting at TheaterWorks is a true ensemble and could not be better. Of the four students, Elham (Sahar Milani) may be the most driven and conflicted, expressing her frustration with bursts of anger and resentment. Much of that is directed at the charismatic Omid (Afsheen Misaghi), who seems to know English better than the teacher with who his flirting may or may not have an
ulterior motive. As the oldest class member, Roya (Pantea Ommi) is struggling to learn so she can communicate with her English-speaking granddaughter. She is never more touching than when leaving a message for her granddaughter naming all the characters from the “Friends” TV show. As the youngest student, Goli (Anahita Monfared) adds a sweet naivety to the class dynamic. Her revealing scene with Elham is a highlight.
Top-notch design elements are in clear evidence once again at TheaterWorks and include Sadra Tehrani’s functional classroom setting, Mary Ellen Stebbins’ sharp fluorescent lighting and Bahar Royaee’s haunting sound design which adds layers of meaning and tension throughout. This is a moving, poignant and often very funny play which will resonate with the viewer long after the final curtain. Don’t miss it.
“English” continues at TheaterWorks, 233 Pearl Street, Hartford, Connecticut through November 2. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at: 860.527.7838 or visit: www.twhartford.org. As a co-production with Long Wharf Theatre, “English” will also move to New Haven in January. Visit: www.longwharf.org for further information.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org.
