Review Roundup: The World Premiere Of ELYRIA Opens At Atlantic Theater Company

Atlantic Theater Company is presenting the world premiere production of Elyria, written by Deepa Purohit (Off-Broadway playwriting debut), and directed by Awoye Timpo (The Homecoming Queen). Read reviews for the production!

Atlantic is welcoming Avanthika Srinivasan to the company, taking over for Khyati Seghal. Elyria features Sanskar Agarwal (Off-Broadway debut), Nilanjana Bose (Tamburlaine the Great), Sanjit De Silva (War Horse), Mohit Gautam (Off-Broadway debut), Gulshan Mia (Acquittal), Bhavesh Patel (The Nap), Mahima Saigal (Off-Broadway debut), Omar Shafiuzzaman (Off-Broadway debut) and Avanthika Srinivasan (Candida).

Elyria is now in performances and will open Monday, February 27th, for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 19th, 2023 Off-Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street).

1982. Elyria, Ohio: Two women collide 20 years, 3 continents, and 2 oceans after making a deal of a lifetime, forcing them to face the knots of the past and the uncertainty of their inextricably linked future.

Elyria features choreography by Parijat Desai, scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West, costume design by Sarita Fellows, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, sound design by Amatus Karim Ali, projections by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, and casting by The Telsey Office; Will Cantler, CSA; Karyn Casl, CSA, Destiny Lily, CSA. Kat Meister will serve as the production stage manager.

Laura Collins- Hughes, The New York Times: As a doctor named Charu in Deepa Purohit's new play "Elyria," set in 1982 Ohio, Bhavesh Patel has the element of surprise very much in his favor. Charu is a mild, conformist, ordinary man - and in his muted earth tones, outfitted for obscurity. In his first scene, he arrives home from the hospital, pours himself a bowl of cornflakes, takes the last of the milk, has an unremarkable conversation with his homemaker wife. He's a remote presence, lost in his own thoughts. Yet every beat and pulse of him has, for the audience, a subdued magnetism.

Raven Snook, Time Out New York: Staged in the round, the production features smart design elements, such as Jason Ardizzone-West's box shelves on the walls, a metaphor for the characters' compartmentalizing, and Amatus Karim Ali's delightful '80s song choices, which root the play in its era. Under Awoye Timpo's uncharacteristically unfocused direction, however, Elyria takes a while to find its rhythm in the exposition-heavy yet confusing first act, which builds to a telegraphed reveal. Act II is more engaging intellectually, if not emotionally, as Purohit unpacks the baggage that all immigrants schlep with them. But by then we're not wholly invested in the contents.

Amelia Merrill, New York Theatre Guide: It is disappointing that Elyria rushes to its ending soon after Rohan and Vasanta set their sights on uncovering their personal truths. The ending ushers in changes of heart that don't feel justified and mar an otherwise compelling story. Still, Awoye Timpo's fluid production is not to be missed, and its ghosts will haunt you after the lights go down.

Howard Miller, Talkin' Broadway: Certainly the performances by Nilanjana Bose and Gulshan Mia as the two central characters are solid and engaging, but neither the plot, nor Awoye Timpo's direction, nor the sometimes confusing design elements are able to pull the disparate pieces into a fully realized production. Elyria feels like a work in progress, its potential as yet unmet.