Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick, Insecure) and Stephanie Nur (Lioness, 1883) ignite the stage in this gripping new drama about love, survival, and impossible choices. Discover the electrifying connection between Duke (Ellis), an international hip-hop artist, and Roya (Nur), a fearless Afghan interpreter, who find love in the unlikeliest of places: war-torn Kabul. As their worlds collide, they must navigate cultural divides, make personal sacrifices, and fight for their future in a world determined to keep them apart. Is their bond strong enough to survive?
The events of the last few days make Duke’s line extraordinarily timely, and would likely heighten interest in a suspenseful and pointed story of an American’s clueless and disastrous entanglement with a foreigner, presented as a microcosm of America’s entanglement with foreign countries. The timing might even boost something less political, a steamy romance set against a background of danger and intrigue. The production lands somewhere in-between pointed tale and romance, not completely satisfying as either, despite a charming four-member cast. Like other promising moments in the play, little is made of Duke’s line about America’s wars.
There’s also a somewhat confusing subplot concerning Roya and a prisoner named Behrouz that neither Randolph-Wright nor director Warren Adams manage to make work. Then again, the course of true love never did run smooth.
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
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