Our native language, whatever it might be, shapes who we are. While English is spoken around the world, it’s not universal. For people who grew up speaking another language but having aspirations beyond their nation’s borders, learning English is often both a necessity and a challenge. For some, it can be a barrier that thwarts dreams and desires. English has many idiosyncrasies and dialects, and obtaining fluency can be a frustrating, uphill battle. The five Iranian characters in Sanaz Toossi’s 2023 Pulitzer Prize winning play English personify the hopes and yearning that might be satisfied or thwarted by the fluency needed for certification by TOEFL, the “Test of English as a Foreign Language.”
Playwright Toossi’s clever script, almost entirely in English, employs a conceit. When characters speak Farsi, it’s rendered in fluent, unaccented American English. When they struggle with their English language lessons, they have heavy accents and halting delivery. At the play’s outset, the teacher writes “English Only” on a classroom whiteboard. It’s the rule she strictly imposes on her four TOEFL learners in Karaj, Iran, in 2008.
The teacher, Marjan (Neagheen Homaifar) speaks almost exclusively in slightly stilted English and constantly reminds the students of her expectations. Nevertheless, when they grope for a word or expression, they often revert to Farsi to ask a question or make a remark. Marjan is quick to remind them of her rule. The script makes it abundantly clear how hard it is to shake loose from Farsi’s pronunciation and musical qualities. The actors, ably directed by Kimberly Senior, handle the switches effectively, often fueling the play with humorous moments.
Each character has a reason to build proficiency. Goli (Aryana Asefirad) is a spirited 18-year-old, infatuated with American pop culture. Eager to experience it firsthand in the United States, she has enthusiasm but is easily distracted when she can’t come up with the right word. For a show-and-tell exercise, she hilariously interprets Ricky Martin’s 2000 hit “She Bangs” as an example of the art form she admires.
Roya (Leyla Modirzadeh), a generation older than her classmates, yearns to join her son’s family in Canada where he has immigrated. He won’t let her visit or come to live with them unless she will speak only English to her granddaughter. Roya tries to break through to him with a series of imploring, motherly calls that repeatedly go straight to voicemail. It’s an uphill battle that she is losing and desperate to turn the tide, while fearful of losing touch with a culture she honors.
Elham (Sanam Laila Hashemi) is a medical student who needs to earn a passing TOEFL grade for further training in gastroenterology in Australia. She has been down this path more than once, and she finds English tremendously frustrating. A prickly, impatient personality, she often clashes abruptly and rudely with her fellow students.
Omid (Fady Demian) impresses everyone with his conversational American English. His family has lived in both Iran and Ohio, and he wants to maintain his linguistic duality. As the 95-minute play’s story unfolds, we discover his somewhat dishonest motives. He spends time after several classes in the six-week course conversing with Marjan; together they watch rom-com movies (Love, Actually and Notting Hill) to deepen their understanding of spoken English. It’s obvious he has a bit of a crush on his teacher.
There is no singular dramatic moment in English. In addition to classroom language exercises, each character has revelatory one-on-one scenes with Marjan, but there is no major conflict and resolution. The show flows quickly from scene to scene with constant, choreographed rearrangement of four student desks in a stark, bland classroom (designed by Afsaneh Aayani), accented by various lighting effects (designed by Anshuman Bhatia) that reflect the passage of time. Shahrzad Mazaheri’s costume designs, especially for the three female students, are colorful and reflective of each woman’s vivid character.
English is told with warmth and engagement: Each character has moments that audiences will understand — self-consciousness, uncertainty and frustration. Anyone who has endeavored to learn a foreign language can relate. But Toosi’s script digs deeper, exploring the nature of identity that is tied up in the ways we express ourselves. Goli, a free spirit, shows regular progress as she steps into a different linguistic world, while Roya holds onto the spirit ingrained in her through lifelong use of an expressive language. Elhan knows she must refine her English to pursue her medical career, but she chafes at the language’s complexity that seems to stand in the way of caring for others.
The character of Marjan has more texture. We learn that she has felt disconnected between her two languages. She excelled in English during nearly a decade of living there, and she confesses that she liked who she was when it was her principal communication. But she missed her roots in Iran, speaking Farsi, to the point that she felt compelled to return. As Marjan, Homaifar delivers a nuanced performance of a complex woman.
This is a well-acted and well-staged production of an important new play (receiving numerous productions across the United States) — one that will linger with audiences long after seeing it.
English, presented by the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park on its Rosenthal Shelterhouse stage, continues through March 30. For tickets and more information, visit cincyplay.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s March 19 print edition.
This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.