Pej Vahdat, Sahar Bibiyan, Roxanna Hope Radja, Nikki Massoud, and Shadee Vossoughi Photo by Liz Lauren

What makes the play especially compelling, though, is its depiction of the emotional toll speaking in a new language can take. Language, the play tells us, significantly impacts our way of perceiving the world; these perceptions inform our sense of our culture, and in turn, our personal identity. For a speaker to fluently pivot back and forth between languages requires that they be able to "code switch," that is, change not only the words and syntax they use, but also their manner of expressing themselves. African American speakers often code switch between the language of their neighborhood streets and the standard English of professional and academic life. Those who lack the ability to engage in code switching are at a distinct disadvantage, but at the same time, frequent code switching can erode one's sense of belonging in either world.

The students we meet in English have the immediate goal of passing a standardized English language proficiency exam called the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). A high TOEFL score can be required for students from non-English speaking nations to gain entry to universities and for employment in the English-speaking world. Each of the four students in this play has a different motivation. For example, Elham, who has tried and failed to pass the TOEFL several times, is desperate to score high enough to grasp an opportunity to study in Australia. Roya's case is quite different: Her son in Canada told her that she can join him there only after she is fluent enough in English to not undermine his and his wife's resolve to raise their child–Roya's grandchild–speaking only in English.

The class instructor, Marjan, has reasons for wanting to teach English. She lived for nine years in Manchester, England, and deeply misses the identity she had as an English speaker. Now back in Iran, Marjan's immediate world is comprised of Farsi speakers unversed in English. Teaching is her means of rekindling her identity as an English speaker, which she craves so much that she lays down a rule that no Farsi is to be spoken in class, which proves difficult for her students to live with.

In fact, Farsi is spoken quite a bit throughout the play. Toossi employs a sly gambit wherein when a character is meant to speak in Farsi, they actually speak in English–perfect, colloquial English, easily understood by the audience and, more importantly, by the other characters. When a character is meant to be speaking in English, they use English again, but this time halting English with awkward syntax, often hesitating to come up with a word and sometimes changing their intended meaning through the wrong choice or pronunciation of an English word. These passages, while sometimes amusing, are a little more difficult for the audience and, significantly, a lot more difficult for the students. Through this dramatic device we can easily empathize with how much less stress there is on the students when they can return to Farsi. Of course, Marjan, their teacher, is able to express herself quite well in English, but even she stumbles on occasion.

Then there is Omid, who lived for a while in America as a child, and seems to benefit from that early experience to pick up English with remarkably little strain–much to the chagrin of his classmates. A not very subtle attraction grows between Omid and Marjan, which is of course inappropriate (at least to Western eyes, and I cannot imagine the view in Iran is any more tolerant), especially in the obvious manner in which Marjan encourages him. It seems evident that for Marjan, part of Omid's appeal (aside from the fact that, as portrayed by Pej Vahdat, he is both charming and handsome) is the ability to have authentic conversations with him in English. Those exchanges are a huge relief to her, almost too good to be true, and you know what they say, "When something seems too good to be true..."

The other four cast members, who all appeared in the Goodman production, match Vahdat in creating genuine characters who each are able to convey a sense of the complicated backstory that has brought them to this classroom. Nikki Massoud is outstanding expressing Elham's frustration at being kept from pursuing her dream by this obstacle, along with her insecurities about how this makes her appear to others. Roxanna Hope Radja is fully persuasive as Marjan, first earning our admiration for her enthusiasm and commitment as a teacher, then twisting it a bit as she reveals the self-serving aspect of her choices and the price she has paid for her affinity for English.

Shadee Vossoughi is delightful as the warm-hearted Goli, just 18 years old, who strives to see things in the most positive possible light. Finally, Sahar Bibiyan is wonderful as Roya, desperate to be acceptable to her son and to bond with her granddaughter. Her desperate attempts to prove how well her English is coming along on phone calls prompt our laughter before tugging at our heartstrings.

Director Hamid Dehghani has a clear grasp of the issues animating each character as a blend of their unique individuality and the dynamics of their cultural context. Dehghani has insight into the challenge and significance of passing an exam like the TOEFL, as he took a similar exam when he emigrated from Iran to the United States in 2018. The play and the production convey a sense of authenticity of the experiences depicted, which reflect on both the playwright and the director's acumen.

English is performed on a well-conceived set designed by Courtney O'Neil. It is basically a sterile classroom (unlike elementary school, and even high school classrooms, adult learner classrooms are generally bereft of decoration) with the ubiquitous white board, a teacher's desk, student chairs, and a video monitor. Behind and above the classroom we see walls and rooftops of the surrounding neighborhood in Karaj, a city of over one million people. The structures appear extremely old, but with some modern trappings. On one side above the classroom, we look into the window of what appears to be a sitting room, or perhaps a room for prayer. At times, this space is illuminated between scenes, building an expectation that the next scene will occur there, but it never does–a source of confusion that distracts somewhat from the otherwise straightforward thrust of the play.

Other design credits–Shahrzad Mazaheri's costume designs, Jason Lynch's lighting design, and Mikaal Sulaiman's sound design–are top notch, with Sulaiman enhancing our sense of place with the noises of the street seeping into the classroom between scenes.

Immigration is increasingly a topic of great concern around the world, affecting political, economic, and cultural realms. Along with relocating to a new homeland comes the expectation that the new arrival learn the language of their new home. This seems reasonable, some would even say necessary. Yet that has not always happened. Historically and to this day, immigrants often live in enclaves where they continue to speak in the language of the land they left, and through language, maintain their culture. They leave it to their children and grandchildren to master English, but with the acquisition of the new language it is common for their original cultural identities to diminish.

English underscores the cost of this transaction, along with the hegemony of English as the dominant language of commerce, technology, and intellectual pursuits worldwide. Among the play's five characters, some welcome having English wash over their lives, while others do so under duress, trying to minimize the toll it takes on their cultural identity. One tries to live in both realms and feels complete in neither.

English is scheduled to have its Broadway premiere in a production by the Roundabout Theatre Company this winter. That, along with its Pulitzer Prize pedigree, and the currency of the issues it raises, means there are likely to be more opportunities in regional theaters to see this insightful and dramatically rich play. The Goodman-Guthrie production sets a high bar for those to come.

English, a co-production of the Guthrie Theater and the Goodman Theatre, runs through August 18, 2024, at at the Guthrie Theater, McGuire Proscenium Stage, 618 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-377-2224 or visit GuthrieTheater.org.

Playwright: Sanaz Toossi; Director: Hamid Dehghani; Scenic Designer: Courtney O'Neil; Costume Designer: Shahrzad Mazaheri; Lighting Designer: Jason Lynch; Sound Designer: Mikaal Sulaiman; Dramaturg: Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel; Vocal Coach: Keely Wolter: Dialect Coach: Vaneh Assadourian, Casting Director: Lauren Port, C.S.A.; Stage Manager: Lindsay R. Harter; Assistant Stage Manager: Laura Topham.

Cast: Sahar Bibiyan (Roya), Nikki Massoud (Elham), Roxanna Hope Radja (Marjan), Pej Vahdat (Omid), Shadee Vossoughi (Goli).