See it if This explores female friendships amidst political uncertainty and restrictions of human rights. Strong writing & acting, laughter and tears
Don't see it if You are easily offended by language pertaining to female anatomy or if you are not interested in a women centered plot. There are no men. Read more
See it if you enjoy shows that are slow-moving yet quietly build to produce a deeply moving final product; strong performances from an ensemble cast
Don't see it if you dislike frequent time jumps; you don't like "slice of life" plays, particularly those centered around women; you prefer fast-paced shows
See it if It's rare to see women's friendship portrayed so honestly, I loved that about these characters, who all seemed so very real to me.
Don't see it if A bit choppy and slow and very sad to lose some of the characters so early--- politics are the framework for the narrative
See it if You think learning about a different culture in your lifetime has changed over the years… what a revelation!!
Don't see it if You only want to see shows that don’t require you to think
See it if the intersecting complexities of friendship (or more than?) dynamics, war, political turmoil, and the concept of "home" interest you
Don't see it if you dislike slice-of-life style plays or if you're uncomfortable with frank discussions of sexuality or with candid talk of war/emigration
See it if You are interested in the universality of women's experiences, deep friendships, honest conversations, exploring difficult decisions
Don't see it if You need big things to happen at the theater, frank talk among women embarrasses you, you want politics in plays that take place in Iran
See it if you would enjoy a well written and well acted play about women's relationships in Iran over several decades.
Don't see it if you are not interested in women's relationships or are offended by somewhat graphic words referring to female anatomy. Read more
See it if You enjoy plays about friendships set against a historical backdrop (in this case, the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War).
Don't see it if You like only light and fluffy dramadies.
"It’s exciting to see a portrayal of the complexity of female friendships, including both the niceties and the petty rivalries alike. It’s something I’ve been considering a lot lately in conversations with my female friends — how we have shaped and been shaped by one another, how we’ve grown into or outgrown the roles we’ve been assigned in each other’s lives. There’s so much to appreciate and even more to explore here, within the confidences of rowdy, supportive, spiteful women; I just wish we’d have witnessed it onstage."
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"While 'English' took a snapshot of the resentment-filled emigration process where success means becoming a fish out of water, 'Wish You Were Here' fixes its gaze on the lone fish left in the tank. Should we envy her for holding on to home long after so many have waved the white flag of surrender? That depends on whether you think of home as the water or the other fish who appreciate your filthy sense of humor."
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Once again, Toossi opens a window on a society about which many of us know little or nothing, focusing on the passing of a way of life and obliquely revealing what the West looks like to those living outside its orbit. Thanks to her entirely original viewpoint, she may be the most interesting new writer to emerge this year.
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"That [Sanaz Toossi] succeeds as well as she does is a testament to her powers of observation and ability to write small-talk dialog that isn't that small; repeated phrases, repeated curses, even silences between lines convey a lot. But she also confuses us–needlessly, I think–in keeping the action so local. What's going on in the outside world? Who are these women when they're not just gal-pals dishing the dirt? What, if any, political viewpoints do they share, and how free are they to express them?"
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"It’s Toossi’s intention to lend an ear to women when secluded, but she decidedly has a deeper concern. On her mind is the fragility of friendship, when it flowers and wilts, sometimes flowering again, sometimes never returning, or barely returning."
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"Sanaz Toossi is fast becoming one of my favorite playwrights. She has an uncanny gift with language, conjuring a whole world in simple conversation, layering laughter on vulnerability with delicate subtlety. Her words echo in your mind long after the final curtain."
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“Wish You Were Here” is most obviously about female friendship, and how it changes…with age. It’s a story of the strength and joy of such friendship, and of its almost inevitable decline, told through…five exquisite actresses. Yet both playwright Sanaz Toossi and director Gaye Taylor Upchurch very subtly but firmly root the story in the particular circumstances of Iran’s recent history, so that the losses seem beyond just personal.
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In her understated way, Ms. Toosi brings out the poignancy of life under an oppressive regime, the stakes involved in staying behind or immigrating, the loneliness of losing one’s closest friends, and the rewards and responsibility of friendship. This is not to deny that the play’s string of pearls structure escapes longueurs; it doesn’t.
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