DISGRACED is the story of a successful Muslim-American attorney who has renounced his religion and secured a coveted piece of the American Dream. Living high above Manhattan's Upper East Side, he and his artist wife host an intimate dinner party that is about to explode. Witty banter turns to vicious debate, and with each cocktail comes a startling new confession, painting an unforgettable portrait of our perception of race and religion.
Reviewing DISGRACED at LCT3 for The New York Times, Charles Isherwood wrote:
"This rollicking new play by Ayad Akhtar is a continuously engaging, vitally engaged play about thorny questions of identity and religion in the contemporary world. The dialogue bristles with wit and intelligence. Mr. Akhtar puts contemporary attitudes toward religion under a microscope, revealing how tenuous self-image can be for people born into one way of being who have embraced another."
The grey-walled apartment with pass-through window to the kitchen is this week's John Lee Beatty set. Last week's--or maybe it was two week's back--offering was for the above-mentioned Donald Margulies's new play, A Country House. Beatty never stops, and it's possible, given the misfortunes occurring in the Disgraced manuscript, that this house beautiful could come onto on the market sometime soon. If so, grab it at whatever the asking price.
Some plays have a soft and gentle feel. Others build to a climax but remain mellow for the most part. And then there's Ayad Akhtar's explosive race relations drama 'Disgraced,' which makes its audience feel like it was just uncomfortably blindsided and hit with a ton of bricks...Even if some of the plot developments are relatively over-the-top, Akhtar raises a provocative debate over racial and religious identity that is as compelling as it is disturbing. 'Disgraced' is essentially a modern tragedy, leaving its audience in a state of fear and pity. Just as Oedipus was helpless to alter his fate, Amir is seemingly unable to escape his heritage. Kimberly Senior's engrossing production is marked by strong performances all around. Dhillon convincingly depicts Amir's descent out of cool professionalism, while Radnor brings a professorial, purposely unpleasant touch to his character that is a far cry from the ultra-romantic Ted Mosby.
| 2012 | Off-Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater LCT3 Production Off-Broadway |
| 2014 | Broadway |
Broadway Premiere Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Award | Karen Pittman |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Greenleaf Productions |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Ayad Akhtar |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Rachel Weinstein |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Alden Bergson |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The David Merrick Arts Foundation |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The Shubert Organization |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jere Harris |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Darren DeVerna |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | TNTDynaMite Productions |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Ashley DeSimone |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Carl Levin |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jonathan Reinis |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jessica Genick |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Tulchin/Bartner Productions |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Stephanie P. McClelland |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Rodger Hess |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Richard Winkler |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Amanda Watkins |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Jenifer Evans |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Lincoln Center Theater |
| 2015 | Tony Awards | Best Play | The Araca Group |
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