Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
through October 13, 2024
by Shera Cohen
What a coup it is for any theatre to present a World Premiere. A double coup for Shakespeare
& Company is a playwright starring in her own play. This is the case in “Three Tall Persian Women”.
& Company is a playwright starring in her own play. This is the case in “Three Tall Persian Women”.
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| Photo by Maggie Hall |
“Women” is a generational story of the old country, reluctant or intended immigration, and the new country. How do people segue from lifestyles, mores, and particularly the roles of women to another while still appreciating their heritage?
Yes, three women populate this story of mother/daughter relationships in a contemporary setting in the U.S. None are “tall,” yet perhaps mighty in each one’s convictions. Their heritage is Iranian.
Golnar, the 20-something daughter, portrayed by the play’s writer Awni Abdi-Bahri, shows her audience a young woman, caught in the middle of generations, beliefs, and history. While the outward focal point of many of the laughs, Abdi-Bahri gives her character a somber churning in her entire being.
Niousha Noor’s depiction of Golnar’s mother is in direct opposition to the personality, dreams, and lifestyle of Golnar. Noor plays this well-meaning mother role with hesitance and self-questioning.
The matriarch of this family of women is acted by Lanna Joffrey as Grandmother Mamani. Joffrey plays a powerhouse senior, living in Iran’s past as if history made no edits on her life as it is now.
The interaction between the characters is primarily between mother and daughter. In her own quiet way, Nasrin is at the center of the picture, on this day marking the anniversary of her husband’s death. The audience knows little about this man, except that he is an example of Iranian society where women are viewed in ancillary roles in a family and society.
Yet, the play’s title is about three women; not men; the setting America.
Into this picture walks the only male on the stage; Shayan, richly and realistically portrayed by Afsheen Misaghi. Mom and Grandma have set up Golnar on a date with Shayan. These scenes provide many moments of laughter, but the duo does not play coy. Each character gives what he/she gets in their verbal jibes. Misaghi has fewer lines than anyone else on stage, yet he makes the most of every line, whether speaking or singing.
The running time is long, especially with some unnecessary elements that might be deleted or reduced; i.e. Grandma’s dissertation on the Shah, actors giving candy bits to the audience, and the shadowed sexual encounter that opens the play. Note: Not recommended for anyone under 16.
Some may disagree; the story is somewhat generic where Iranians could be substituted with just about any ethnic group. What is true about immigrants, especially in this era and to America, can be true throughout the globe.
