Identity. Being comfortable in our own skin. It is integral to who we are and what we stand for. English is about that. It is about love and loathing, aspiration and fear. It deals with learning to speak a language that is not your native tongue and, in so doing, fitting in, not standing out.
The play, which won Iranian American playwright Santaz Toossi the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for drama, is set in Karaj, Iran in 2008 over a period of six weeks. She wrote it in the wake of then President Trump’s travel ban in 2017, which saw entry into the US by certain foreign nationals restricted. It concerns dislocation and otherness.
The teacher taking an advanced English class, Marjan (Salme Geransar) – who has a daughter – spent nine years in Manchester, England before returning home. Now she implores her adult students to speak only in English, while she appears caught between her past and her future. As for her pupils, they are a distinctly varied bunch.
Eighteen-year-old Goli (Delaram Ahmadi) is ever the enthusiast. She is enamoured by the English language. Omid (Osamah Sami) speaks better English than his teacher and is waiting to secure his Green Card for entry into the US. He forms a special bond with the teacher, which sees him watching English language films with her during the day. The pair flirts.
Then there is the surly and highly competitive Elham (Maia Abbas), who aspires to be a gastroenterologist and struggles with the language. She doesn’t hold back. She feels the teacher is favouring Omid at the expense of others, including her. And, finally, we have Roya (Marjan Mesbahi), whose son moved to Canada with her grandchild. She appears destined to move there too and he, who has taken an English name, wants her to converse in English. Roya is increasingly concerned that he has abandoned his heritage.
English is a brilliantly conceived and executed play, which says home is where the heart is. Underneath the inherent humour, there is depth and complexity. It may be tricky to navigate the final exam that the students are soon to confront, but this isn’t just about the exam, rather about fates and futures. The piece gives us snippets of each of the players’ lives, revealing their divergent personalities, exposing much in the process. A series of games and exercises undertaken by the teacher bring with them laughs and distress.
English has been written with much insight and forethought. The performances are first rate. Maia Abbas is spectacular as the recalcitrant who wears her heart on her sleeve and won’t stand for nonsense. In contrast, Delaram Ahmadi is demonstrative as the youngster with the world at her feet and a positive attitude. There’s an exuberance, too, about Osamah Sami in his representation of a man who has taken a shine to his teacher, but hides a secret. Marjan Mesbahi enables her character to open up during the course of proceedings and draw a line in the sand. There is a conflict and sadness about Salme Geransar’s as the teacher who wants the best for her students.
Kat Chan brings authenticity to her classroom setting and costume design. Scene shifts are seamless as director Tasnim Hossain takes us to the heart of culture and connection, and how much it means. Sensitive and endearing, English is playing at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, until 29th August, 2024.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.