by Paula Kaplan-Reiss
All Americans know how privileged we are that English is a universal language. Rarely are we forced to learn a second language. Traveling and studying are not often impeded by our inability to speak or read the native tongue of other countries. Sanaz Toossi, an Iranian-American playwright penned the Pulitzer Prize winning, English. Her provocative play, presented at the Barrington Stage Company, brings most of the original cast who premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company/Roundabout Theatre Company in February, 2022 along with the director, Knud Adams. Toossi, herself, joins the ensemble for the first time. Issues of identity, family, authenticity, competition and belonging are wrestled among cast members, as they play students and a teacher in Iran in an English class to prepare for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
We are faced with a classroom, nicely designed by Afsoon Pajoufar, complete with a whiteboard, video screen and a VCR, and large windows indicating this is a storefront location in Iran. Marjan (Nazanin Nour), the instructor, enters followed by three female students and one male. All women are wearing hijabs, the traditional head covering for Muslim women. Each student is in the class for different reasons.
Goli (Narges Kalogli), an exuberant 18-year-old, seems to just enjoy the thrill of speaking English, yet freely shares her anxiety and frustration when she struggles to convey her thoughts.
Roya (Pooya Mohseni), a new grandmother and mother to a son who has moved to Canada with his young family, needs to be proficient in English to speak to her granddaughter, whose English name she has difficulty pronouncing. Apparently, it would be unacceptable to her son for her to speak Farsi in the presence of his child.
Elham (the playwright Toossi), has been accepted to an Australian medical school contingent on her passing the TOEFL, which she has failed five times, unbeknownst to the class. She is angry, desperate, competitive, and very invested in this class.
Omid (Babak Tafti), the only male (and newcomer to this play), is the most proficient in English and his presence in this class is a bit of a mystery.
While the entire play is presented in English (save the very end), the characters speak with varying Iranian accents when they are practicing English, and with no accent when they are speaking Farsi. I appreciate this distinct presentation. So often we watch plays and movies taking place in other countries and everyone speaks with a British accent, which makes no sense. The issue of speaking English without a thick accent is highlighted as an issue for Iranians. Much time is spent practicing the letter W as it is often pronounced as a V. The ultimate insult is thrown from Omid to Elham, telling her she sounds like Borat. Again, Omid displays the least obvious accent.
Marjan, who spent several years living in Great Britain and has returned to Iran, believes in English immersion, not allowing students to speak Farsi while in class and writing tally marks under each student’s name on the whiteboard should anyone revert to Farsi. She asks the class to leave their Iranian culture and language outside the classroom stating, “I’m here with you today because I want you to hear your voice and fall in love with what it becomes.” While her passion for English is evident, her punitive methods are not effective for all students.
Elham, the competitive premed student, describes how she feels when she cannot adequately describe her experiences in English. “Every day in here I feel like idiot. I want everyone to know I am not idiot.”
Roya, who is desperate to not feel rejected by her son and longs to be known by her granddaughter, wants to share her culture with her extended family. She questions, “Tell me, Marjan, what is it about where we’re from that you find repulsive?” Ultimately, Roya rejects the class.
Toossi’s play questions the value of learning English, the superiority of English speaking cultures and the need to abandon one’s history to be accepted and to pass as a native speaker.
Omid seeks out Marjan during office hours. Clearly, there are sparks between them which are not fully acknowledged. Omid finally explains why his English is so proficient. Marjan admits that her family does not speak English and how exhausting it was for her to live in England. They watch romantic English speaking movies together under the guise of becoming more proficient with comprehension.
The intermissionless 95 minute play spans several weeks of the TOEFL class, with only one student left for the final class.
Lighting, designed by Mash Tsimring, was effectively used from the fluorescent classroom lights to the dimming of lights between each class session, accompanied by classical music being played (sound designers: Kenny Neal and Sinan Refik Zafar).
Marjan is professionally and attractively dressed, sporting heeled boots elevating her already tall, commanding presence. Costume designer Dina El-Ariz dresses the rest of the women in colorful pants and tops, appropriate to the age of each character. Omid is in western streetwear.
The cast works beautifully together, well directed by Adams, and likely enhanced by the presence of Toossi in an intense, emotional role. While we feel Roya’s angst, played by Mohseni, we miss her presence as she leaves the class and hope for her to return to tie up her story. Likewise, the relationship between Omid and Marjan never fully develops, while we feel the chemistry as acted between Tafti and Nour. Questions remain.
Elham’s storyline reaches the most effective conclusion, as does her relationship with Marjan.
As someone who loves languages, who participates in a weekly French conversation group, since moving to the Berkshires, and practices Spanish daily on Duolingo, I can relate to every student in the class in English. I struggle to perfect my accent and notice the poor accent of others. I envy those who speak much more fluently than I, who often teach the language or have spent significant time in another country. I am confounded with how fast others can speak, while knowing I speak English just as quickly. When I speak in French I realize that I don’t appear as smart as I would like to sound. Toossi captures universal problems in language acquisition and fitting in, and the privilege of speaking fluent English.
Marjan questions, “Why do we learn language? To speak not only our needs but our wants. To speak our souls. And to listen to the insides of others.” By the end of this play, we wonder is it language that conveys what is in our souls? Can learning English do this most effectively?
Toossi’s play succeeds in compelling us to question, listen, wonder, resist and empathize with others trying to improve their lives with language. You will leave talking.
Barrington Stage Company presents English by Sanaz Toossi, directed by Knud Adams, on the Boyd-Quinson Main Stage (30 Union Street, Pittsfield MA) from September 27-October 15, 2023. CAST: Nazanin Nour as Marjan, Narges Kalogli as Goli, Pooya Mohseni as Roya, Sanaz Toossi as Elham, Babak Tafti as Omid. Scenic designer Afsoon Pajoufar; lighting designer Mash Tsimring; sound designers Kenny Neal and Sinan Refik Zafar; costume designer Dina El-Ariz; Ana Bayat cultural consultant & dialect coach; production stage manager Jason Brouillard; assistant stage manager Merit Glover.
The show runs 95 minutes with no intermission. For tickets to English call the BSC Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit www.BarringtonStageCo.org/Tickets.