Review: Explosive DISGRACED Makes Strong DC Regional Premiere at Arena Stage

Since Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, DISGRACED had its Off-Broadway premiere in 2012 (following a regional premiere in Chicago), I had high hopes that a DC theatre company would present the show to local audiences. On the basis of the compelling description alone, DISGRACED seemed to be the perfect fit for our multicultural city, and I thought it would certainly resonate with the numerous workers in government, think tanks, and academia wrestling with questions of identity and civil liberties in a post-September 11th world. Last night, this tightly written, ninety minute, powder keg of a play opened at Arena Stage - a theatre company that's no stranger to staging plays focused on issues of sociopolitical importance - and the result was one of the most memorable theater-going experiences I've had all season.

An able and diverse cast of five, under the direction of Timothy Douglas, delivers raw and real performances, and more than rises to the occasion to portray richly drawn characters that have a whole lot going on underneath the surface.

Amir (Nehal Joshi) is your quintessential young hardworking lawyer, determined to rise to the ranks of partner. He lives in an upscale luxury apartment (meticulously designed by Tony Cisek) with great views of the New York skyline, and has a closet full of $600 shirts. Mergers and acquisition cases fill his long days, but he enjoys the good life too. A first generation American born to Pakistani parents, he's aware of the prejudices he will face on a daily basis in contemporary American society, particularly after September 11. He keeps his ethnic heritage and religious upbringing to himself; only his artsy Caucasian wife Emily (Ivy Vahanian) has the full story. She's an up-and-coming artist whose work is heavily influenced by Islamic art, of all things (Amir, on the other hand, makes it abundantly clear on multiple occasions to her that he wants nothing to do with Islam). When Emily asks Amir to help out a local imam who is facing accusations of what could be boiled down to financing Hamas, he initially resists her pleas, as well as those of his assimilated nephew Abe (Samip Raval), who is going through his own identity struggle. Amir ultimately relents and attends the imam's hearing. His name, as well as that of his law firm (founded by American Jews), is printed in a New York Times article about the case. Amir becomes concerned about how others will perceive him, and his future prospects for making partner. He's no longer just a hardworking American lawyer who happens to have brown skin. He's truly, and without question, "the other."

Amir faces multiple "interrogations" from his employers in the aftermath of the Times article. A story that he is of Indian descent no longer holds up (one of his parents was technically born in "India" before a boundary line was drawn in the late 40s, so Amir has used this to his advantage).

Although things are not great for Amir at work, and there are strains in the marriage, Emily decides to host a dinner party at their home for their friends Jory (Felicia Curry) and Isaac (Joe Isenberg). Jory is an African American who works with Amir at the law firm, and both are on the same career track. Her Jewish husband, Isaac, who organizes art shows, has good news for Emily. Her unique work will be showcased at an upcoming event. The evening is supposed to be a celebration of Emily's success, but when politics, religion, and issues of identity enter into the dinner table discussion, all hell breaks loose. Professional and personal secrets are revealed, and the kind of viewpoints that you usually keep to yourself in mixed company (especially at dinner parties) are shared in the heat of the moment. Tensions rise and then explode, and things even start to get physical. In the end, everyone - especially Amir - must come to terms with complex issues of personal identity. Nothing is black and white, and it's clear that one moment - or several - can cost even the usually most careful person, everything.

The actors - much like the characters they play - are asked to execute a bit of a balancing act in the lead up to the dinner party (and aftermath), never showing their full hand until a specific moment. They do so with enormous success and resist any temptation to overplay the show's most tense moments. Every millisecond is believable. There's no weak moment, and certainly no weak link acting-wise. The incredible strength of Akhtar's script shines through all of the performances.

If I had to state one quibble, though, it would be with one of Timothy Douglas' staging choices on the Kreeger's proscenium stage. During the dinner party scene - and in one of the most arguably powerful moments of the play - Jory, Isaac, Amir, and Emily are sitting around a table, one chair on each side. Unfortunately, this means that one actor (in this case, Vahanian) is facing away from the entire audience the entire time. At least from where I was sitting on opening night, this also meant that I could not see Joshi who was sitting (and sometimes standing) across from Vahanian. While the dialogue is what drives this particular scene, it would have been an even more immersive experience if the audience could see tensions rise in all of their faces and bodies as the conversation takes place, just as we see with when they move away from the table.

Still, this misstep is most certainly not enough for mar my enthrallment over this production. Akhtar's script is so beautifully complex yet simple, and asks some hard questions. The performances and physical production elements (including Fitz Patton's original compositions) are first-rate. This is one of the strongest productions I've seen all season, and perhaps in recent years in the Washington, DC area.

Running Time: Nearly 90 minutes with no intermission

DISGRACED plays through May 29 in the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th Street, SW in Washington, DC. For tickets, call the box office at 202-488-3300 or purchase them online.

Photo: (L to R) Joe Isenberg as Isaac, Nehal Joshi as Amir, Ivy Vahanian as Emily and Felicia Curry as Jory in DISGRACED at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. By C. Stanley Photography.

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