It's not language that defines you. It's your voice. That's the message of English- the Pulitzer Prize-winning play coming to Broadway via Roundabout Theatre Company. Written by Sanaz Toossi and directed by Knud Adams, the play arrives on Broadway, after its world premiere co-production with Atlantic Theater Company. once again directs this English is about the universal foibles of language and miscommunication.
The comedy unfolds in an Iranian classroom where adult English learners practice for their proficiency exam. As they leapfrog through a linguistic playground, their wildly different dreams, frustrations, and secrets come to light. Can they overcome the limits of language to discover what they really want to say?
English won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2023, beating out finalists On Sugarland by Aleshea Harris and The Far Country by Lloyd Suh.
The company features the entire cast from the off-Broadway premiere, including Tala Ashe, Ava Lalezarzadeh, Pooya Mohseni, Marjan Neshat, and Hadi Tabbal. All are making their Broadway debuts in the production.
Absolutely nothing gets lost in the translation of Sanaz Toossi’s English as the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a group of Iranians longing for the West finally makes its Broadway debut, two years after its Off Broadway bow garnered critical raves and regional stagings won over audiences with its unfailing wit, grace and compassion.
English, I’m told, is one of the hardest languages to learn. We Americans tend to take it for granted, but with its erratic pronunciations, bizarre contractions and seemingly made-up words, not to mention all the slang, it must be incredibly difficult for foreigners to master our native tongue. And yet for so many people throughout the world, a working knowledge of English is currency to a career, a better life, and even freedom. That’s the backdrop for a group of ESL students studying English in Iran; and as you’d expect, most of them are struggling. Playwright Sanaz Toossi won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for English, a keenly understated work that speaks volumes about the immense impact language has on our culture and identity.
| 2022 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| West End |
West End |
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| West End |
West End |
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| 2025 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Tala Ashe |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Marjan Neshat |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A PLAY | Knud Adams |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Knud Adams |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Tala Ashe |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Marjan Neshat |
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