Review: WISH YOU WERE HERE at Studio Theatre

We hear a lot these days about the country of Iran in the news. As a result, many of us might be thinking of Iran in the context of war, oil production, and nuclear arms. Sanaz Toossi’s funny and moving play, Wish You Were Here is a poignant reminder that Iran is first and foremost a country filled with people, in this case young women, living their lives in many ways the same as their counterparts in the U.S., obsessing over their bodies, planning and celebrating weddings, mourning losses and staying connected with each other. Wish You Were Here is a play about friendships and how they both flourish and struggle to survive amidst times of external adversity. The play starts in 1978 during the period of rising opposition to the Shah and the eve of revolution. Five friends have assembled to help Salme (Layan Elwazani) get ready for her wedding. The five friends talk, joke and tease each other and their own selves about their bodies (quite graphically and comically), love lives and their dreams for the future.

The play is made up of 10 scenes in Karaj, Iran spanning the years of 1978-1991, during which much is happening on the political front in Iran, including the deposing of the Shah, revolution, the rise of Khomeini, and the events of the Iraq-Iran war. (A helpful exhibit in the lobby summarizes the relevant history for those that need a refresher). Although such major historic events are occurring during this time span, the play focuses on the interior lives of the five friends over this period. As a result, the play has a pleasant slice-of-life-over-time feel to it, with strikingly very little didacticism considering the context. As time marches on, we learn the fates of each of the friends and the impact of the underlying political changes. For example, the women refer in passing to the more stringent public clothing requirements instituted during this period, such as wearing hijabs, as well as the closing and later reopening of the universities.

This production boasts an excellent ensemble of actresses playing the friends, under the sharp direction of Sivan Battat: In addition to Elwazani’s motherly and prayerful Salme, Ellen Nikbakht plays the steadfast budding engineer, Nazanin; Shadee Vossoughi plays the aspiring doctor, Shideh; Ellena Eshraghi plays the perky and innocent Zari; and Ari Derambakhsh plays the free-spirited Rana, whose character stands out being a Jewess who is living in Iran when the action starts. (In addition, Ege Yalcinbas plays a new friend of Nazanin in one of the later scenes).  The actresses have amazing chemistry from the first scene onward.  In fact, when some of the characters move out of the action as the play progresses, you really miss seeing them.

The technical elements to the production are stellar. In between scenes, the stage is flooded with gorgeous projections by Doaa Ouf featuring nostalgic photographs of the friends from the past. The set design by Omid Akbari showcases different living room areas from the period, with striking geometric wall and door patterns and vibrant Persian carpets. The colorful costumes by Shahrzad Mazaheri, including multiple stunning wedding dresses, are quite beautiful. The lighting design by Nic Vincent and sound design by Kenny Neal enhance the staging.

Toossi’s Pulitzer-winning play, English, was performed at Studio Theater in 2023 before moving on to Broadway. We are very fortunate to have this fine production of Toossi’s second play currently on stage in the Washington DC area at such pivotal moment when we need to reflect more deeply on our universal humanity.

Wish You Were Here is playing at Studio Theatre through November 1. Performance run time is approximately 100 minutes without an intermission. 

Photo credit:  Margot Schulman

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.