Theatre Review - English



Sara Hazemi, Nojan Khazai, Nadia Albina and Lanna Joffrey in English [Robert Davenport]


SET in Iran in 2008, Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer prize-winning play follows four adults as they prepare to take their TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).

Over six weeks, they grapple with accents, pronunciation and vocabulary. They are taught by Marjan (Nadia Albina), who bans Farsi in the classroom but is not always obeyed. The characters are heavily accented when speaking English, and use fluid English when speaking their mother tongue.

Elham (Serena Manteghi), a medical student, needs to pass the test to study and work in Australia. The stakes are equally high for Roya (Lanna Joffrey) whose son, now married and living in Canada, has told her that she has to speak English if she wants to communicate with her grandchild.

Less clear are the motivations of 18-year-old Goli (Sara Hazemi) and Omid (Nojan Khazai), already a remarkably assured speaker with a wide range of vocabulary.

The students participate in various language games, listen to recorded conversations and music, and role play. Marjan and Omid become close as they watch Western romcoms on video together.

An American-Iranian playwright based in the US, Toossi explores provocative themes with subtlety and gentle humour. We need language to communicate our needs, but how much do we erase of ourselves when learning a new language? Do we become a different person? What if, like Omid, we are caught in “the gap” between two cultures and feel we don’t really belong to either.

Toosi also touches on the domination of English in the world and how non-native speakers feel pressured to anglicise their names in order to fit in.

Part of Indhu Rubasingham’s last season at the Kiln, English is a richly textured drama about language, identity and belonging. It boasts a terrific cast and is sensitively directed by Diyan Zora.

Warmly recommended.

To July 6

kilntheatre.com


Originally published by Camden New Journal