Kodi Jackman and Nathan Mohebbi (Photo by Brian Hashimoto)
Reviewed by Ursula Youd
Boston Court Theatre
Through October 27
RECOMMENDED
This review is part of the Stage Raw/Unusual Suspects Youth Journalism Fellowship
A Going Away Party Play by Keyanna Khatiblou, and staged by James Fowler, is a digestible socio-political play bringing in multiple points of views on what it is like to love and lose the country of someone’s family origin. The play takes a look at the relationship between Iranian Basir (Nathan Mohebbi) and his European wife Caroline (Kodi Jackman) that is being affected by the Iranian Revolution.
The play starts off with Mina (Mehrnaz Mohammadi) setting up for a party for her friends. The party starts and the actors begin to talk about the politics of the world, further leading into the flashback of what Mina’s parents — Basir and Caroline — experienced during the Iranian Revolution 45 years ago.
The flipping of past and present continues for the duration of the play with events, games, and family gatherings that reveal each character’s backgrounds and conflicts.
Throughout the play, the five actors each play two different roles, amplifying the distinction between past and present worlds. At points, it’s difficult to distinguish character changes right away, given that the actors playing Mina and her parents are constantly on stage going back and forth between characters.
(I did however appreciate the way the past and present were written into the story.)
The playwright successfully highlights that certain things change and certain things remain the same in human society, even in the most pressure-filled moments, as exemplified here by the Iranian Revolution.
From the opening lines, which are addressed directly to the audience, the fourth wall is broken, and remains so for the duration of the play. It brings a thoughtful and humorous attitude to the underlying theme of connection between different people and different cultures. Some aspects, though, feel watered down when the actors are speaking to the audience, particularly during the moments when the story is depicting the present. The lines as written (more than their delivery) unnecessarily take some seriousness out of what is unfolding.
Especially noteworthy is the colorful decor of the party (set design by Stephen Gifford). Gavan Wyrick’s lighting is dramatic and the John Naboori’s sound design — particularly the noises of war and violence — are a highlight. All the technical elements work together perfectly for both the past and present time periods.
The most striking aspect of this production is how the actors are connected to their characters in what feels like such a personal way. Without such ownership of these characters by the actors, this story would be far less compelling. The humor, especially in the family relationships, carries through in the play’s past and present settings.
A Going Away Party Play allowed me to gain insight into a world of which I had previously had little knowledge and no direct experience. I came away enlightened.
Boston Court Theatre, 70 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena; Saturday and Sunday, 8 pm. bostoncourtpasadena.org. Running time, One hour, 30 minutes with no intermission
