English (2025) Review | A Must-See To Understand The Immigrant Experience Beyond The Usual Headlines
Sanaz Toossi’s “English” becomes the latest example of why theaters should record their productions, for this to be trapped on a New York stage would be a crime.
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Summary
In a class in Iran 2008, Marjan was preparing her four students for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Goli, Elham, Roya, and Omid each have reasons for passing this exam, whether to relocate, for school, or to travel. But, over the weeks the play takes place, as things evolve from preparing for a test to confronting the need to learn English, leave one’s own country, and perhaps abandon or lose oneself to another culture, conflicts arise that Marjan may not have been expecting.
Characters and Cast
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Marjan | Marjan Neshat |
| Goli | Ava Lalezarzadeh |
| Elham | Tala Ashe |
| Roya | Pooya Mosheni |
| Omid | Hadi Tabbal |
Character Descriptions
Marjan
Marjan is the instructor of the advanced English class, and her experience living 9 years in Manchester has allowed her to be fluent in English and have lived experience in the day-to-day. However, the way she speaks of her time in Manchester does raise some eyebrows and even causes some offense with members of her class.
Goli
The youngest in the class at 18, Goli sees learning English as something needed for the next chapter of her life, but she doesn’t take it as intensely as Elham.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Before: Season 1 Episode 3.”
Elham
With a guaranteed position in Australia dependent on her passing the TOEFL, Elham is the most in need of gaining a grasp on English, a language she hates. Mind you, it isn’t necessarily the words as much as the cultures connected, the having to leave home, and hearing Marjan speak in a way that pushes the idea she lost herself to another nation – something Elham, a proud Iranian, abhors the idea of.
Roya
Roya, whose son immigrated to Canada and had a daughter, is hoping this class allows her the type of fluency so that she can not only be with her son but also be welcome, considering her son seems to be straying away from his mother’s tongue and culture – which in extension makes her feel distant from him, being the physical.
Omid
Omid has the English of someone who is perfectly fluent, which ruffles the competitive Elham’s feathers, and his closeness with Marjan raises eyebrows. But it seems the TOEFL, while on his mind, isn’t as big of a worry as it is for his peers, which further leads to Elham and others wondering why he is in the class at all.
Review
Our Rating (85/100): Positive (See Live) – Recommended
With “English” being the first play we’re seeing this year, the standard has been set high. From getting a far different take on the experience of immigration, especially the prepping side, to characters who can stay with you to the point of referencing them long after “English” ends its Broadway run, what the cast and creatives behind “English” have made is something I genuinely hope doesn’t end up like most stage productions where, if you didn’t get to see it in the short two-ish months it was available-You may never get a chance to see it at all.
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Highlights
How It Originally Treats Showing People Speaking Farsi vs. Speaking English
In the clip from “Modern Family” above, Gloria relates the struggle and frustration of having to translate in her mind, stumbling because of the phrases and ways English speakers talk and the perception that creates. Elham, who is a doctoral candidate, exhibits the same struggle, and in “English,” to exhibit this, we hear her and the rest of the class go from hesitating with every word as they speak English, to represent their struggle to learn the language, to a clear and smooth flow of each word, still in English, when speaking Farsi.
One of the projects, assigned to everyone, in the play is doing a show and tell, and being that Elham might be used to being one of the smartest in the room, which Omid dominates due to his proficiency, she brings a paper about her field of study, in gastroenterology. Watching her passionately talk about the subject and then vocalize how she wanted to prove she is smart and educated, despite her accent, reminds you of how debilitatingly humbling it is to be unable to speak your thoughts clearly, alongside the other party being unable to understand you.
Bad enough, in casual conversation, how you can imagine Elham talking about her work and perhaps friends and family not understanding, but imagine the additional layer of having to translate ideas and theories into another language, stumbling, and despite being brilliant in your language, your pauses, stutters, potential mispronunciation, and more making it seem you are a freshman, a novice.
The scene forces empathy as it makes you consider the challenging conversations you may have with people learning English or any language, whether speaking with an adult or child. Never mind, it further enforces Elham’s frustrations with the fact that to further her studies, to get certain opportunities, she can’t remain in Iran, where she is comfortable, but must go out into a world that has no love for her language and, in some cases, her culture and people.
Gaining a Deeper Understanding of The Immigrant Experience
Regarding the immigrant experience, most people think about people leaving their nation for vacation, school, work, or as a refugee. They are going somewhere to experience something different or better, but you are forced to see it differently through Roya, Elham, and Marjan.
Elham, as noted in the last topic, has no real desire to leave Iran and go to other nations and speak something that isn’t her mother tongue. She even notes the dreams and wishes that following King Cyrus, as we’ve seen in the Western world like England, her people made empires and made Farsi the language of the world. It all pushes her and Roya’s idea that immigration is a cause to grieve, not celebrate.
I mean, Marjan, for as much as she speaks lovingly about her years in Manchester, notes it took her 2 years to get acclimated, and even when she became mistaken as a local, it seems the energy it took to get that far was taxing. Never mind, because her name was considered foreign, she chose a Western name, which, for women like Roya, is an insult.
Take note of her situation with her son. He moves to an English-speaking country, the non-French speaking part of Canada, gives his daughter a non-Iranian name, isn’t teaching her Farsi, and seemingly is raising her purely as a Canadian. She raised this young man to be proud of his people, language, and history, and he abandons that as an adult and wipes away his daughter’s connection to where her people came from.
Just thinking about it is tear-inducing, and mind you, this is done voluntarily. Imagine those who had no choice but to immigrate or were forced to Western Countries, like those through the Transatlantic Trade, who had their culture and languages beaten out of them. While you could see them as two extremes, the loss is as devastating from both sides.
Elham And Roya
The two strongest characters are Elham and Roya. As shown thus far, they are the ones who push the strongest emotions, but I should also add they do bring the funny. While Goli has her moments, and Omid and Marjan have this weird teacher’s pet situation, the heart of the experience “English” seemingly wants to give comes from Elham and Roya.
Besides all we’ve previously said, Elham is funny, cutting, sarcastic, and maybe a touch mean. Roya, too, has her moments of sending out a joke, but what the two drive home is a point Roya champions towards Marjan about not needing to change who you are for another culture or nation. When you come as your full self as Elham, people should want to learn your name and how to pronounce it properly, and if they refuse to, they don’t deserve you—no need to change the blessing your mother or parents gave you because of their limp tongue.
These two, who do bump heads at times and are of the 11 making their Broadway debut, leave such a notable impact that, hopefully, their recognition goes beyond the praise I’m sure other reviewers and commentators will have.
On The Fence
The Things Which Go Unanswered Or May Not Be Seen
For some, the swiveling classroom stage could make you feel you are missing something or not privy to certain moments, which could be frustrating and push the idea that there are less-than-ideal seats at the Todd Haimes Theatre.
However, the real issue some may have is for at least one character; they may not get a proper ending or, better said, an ending you’d like or prefer. As things get contentious in the classroom and comments are made, some miss class, and one doesn’t return. This makes it so, like in real life, you are forced to acknowledge when some conversations go too far and that when people end up embarrassed, they avoid the catalyst or situation that triggered these feelings. Ultimately, leaving one character you will likely invest in, having their storyline end on an ellipsis.
Background Information
| Language | English |
| Attendance Type | Offline – In Person, Online, A Mix |
| Event Status | On Schedule |
| Duration | 1 Hours 40 Minutes |
| Performance Date | January 3, 2025 |
| First Performance At This Venue | January 3, 2025 |
| Opening Night Performance | January 3, 2025 |
| Last Performance At This Venue | March 2, 2025 |
| Venue URL | https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2024-2025/english/ |
| Tickets Starting At | $55.00 |
| Director(s) | Knud Adams |
| Writer(s) | Sanaz Toossi |
| Theatre Name | Todd Haimes Theater |
| Address of Theater | 227 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036 |
| Genre(s) | Play, Comedy, Drama, Young Adult, Non-English (Farsi) |
Content Information
- Dialog: Cursing (Minor)
- Violence: None
- Sexual Content: None
- Miscellaneous: Smoking (Minor)
Crew
| Scene/ Set Design | Marsha Ginsberg |
| Costume Design | Enver Chakartash |
| Lighting Design | Reza Behjat |
| Sound Design | Sinan Refik Zafar |
| Choreography | N/A |
