Review: THE WHO & THE WHAT: All in the Muslim Family

The Who & The What

Written by Ayad Akhtar, Directed by M. Bevin O'Gara; Scenic Design, Cristina Tedesco; Costume Design, Mary Lauve; Lighting Design, Annie Wiegand; Sound Design, M.L. Dogg; Original Music, Saraswathi Jones; Production Stage Manager, Carola Morrone Lacoste; Stage Manager, Jeremiah Mullane

CAST: Aila Peck, Turna Mete, Rom Barkhordar, Joseph Marrella

Performances extended through May 7 by Huntington Theatre Company at Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org

The Huntington Theatre Company knows a good playwright when it sees one. A year after producing Ayad Akhtar's hit play Disgraced, HTC is dipping back into the inkwell of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author to stage The Who & The What, a provocative drama that looks at differences around faith and identity within a Muslim-American family. The combination of relationships and religion guarantees dramatic conflict, but Akhtar's ability to draw well-rounded characters and insert humor into the equation adds up to a compelling and diverting piece of theater.

M. Bevin O'Gara directs the Huntington production with a keen eye for the differences that feed the conflict between family members. Although Islam is a central theme in the play, it is each individual's definition of the religion and his or her belief system that comes under the microscope here, not the broader subject that drives so much of our political discourse. None of the characters feels that they are under attack by society; rather, their battles are being fought within the family constellation in a take-no-prisoners war of my faith vs. your faith.

Initially, the battle lines seem to be drawn around gender and generation as elder daughter Zarina (Aila Peck) hides the fact that she is writing a book from her conservative father Afzal (Rom Barkhordar). When her younger sister Mahwish (Turna Mete) tries to get her to talk about it, Zarina tells her only that it is about gender politics, i.e., women and Islam. In reality, the novel is Zarina's attempt to reinterpret the Koran and challenge the traditional view of the prophet Muhammed, basically knocking him from his holy perch and considering him as a man and a sexual being. Expecting push back, she is loath to discuss the particulars with anyone until she meets Eli (Joseph Marrella), a convert and imam who runs the local mosque and soup kitchen.

The way that Eli enters Zarina's life accounts for some of the situational humor in The Who & The What. She is too busy with running the household (her mother died and she stepped into the caretaker role) and working on her book to be interested in looking for a man. However, Mahwish has a serious boyfriend and feels that they cannot be married before her older sister, so she encourages Zarina to do online dating. Unbeknownst to them, Afzal has created a profile on a Muslim dating site on behalf of his daughter and has been screening men for her. After meeting several, he finally determines that Eli passes muster and sets him up with Zarina. She is less than smitten and, thinking she'll never see him again, decides to share the premise of her book with him because he comes across as being an intellectual equal and she feels no emotional risk.

Akhtar uses the first act to set up the story and the relationships, allowing us time to get the essence of each of the characters. In act two, the stakes are raised significantly as Zarina has finished her book and the fallout affects all of the family dynamics. Each of the family members shows us who they are at their core when sides are chosen, and the cast convincingly portrays the depth and breadth of these personalities. Barkhordar is excellent as the traditional father, who defines love as being protective of his daughters and watching out for their interests. When Zarina spreads her wings and expresses her different viewpoint, his confusion and pain are palpable. For her part, Peck shows the duality of her character - the dutiful, loving daughter, and the intelligent, independent woman who is determined to live by her own creed. Marrella constructs a solid arc as Eli finds his way to fit into the family, and Mete personifies the younger sibling in her sister's shadow.

The Who & The What raises a multitude of issues around gender, faith, and the generation gap, to mention but a few. It is important to note that these themes are universal, that you don't have to be Muslim to understand and share the experiences of this family. Akhtar has gone on record to say that he was inspired by the conflicts in Norman Lear sitcoms like "All in the Family," as well as by the comedy and characters in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Like those well-known works, this play will make you laugh even as it makes you think and feel. I call that good theater.

Photo credit: T. Charles Erickson (Aila Peck, Turna Mete, Rom Barkhordar)

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