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Wish You Were Here is a dramatic yet comical play by Sanaz Toossi. This production follows the lives of five female friends living in Iran from 1978 to 1991, during the Iranian Revolution. As these firm friends are forced to separate and take different paths in life, both due to the war and their personal circumstances, we as the audience are left to wonder whether they will ever find the security and safety they once had in their youth.
The five friends reunite at Salme’s wedding (played by Emily Renee), capturing her hesitation as she begins this new chapter. Though it’s initially unclear if the group of women are friends or family, the scene effectively introduces each character and some of their desires in life.
We see that this once tight knit group of women drift apart and some become entirely distant. This shift works well in the later part of the play to forge a deeper connection with the women who remain.
The cast are a strong ensemble who capture the realistic and open discussions that women have. The crude humour shared between Afsaneh Dehrouyeh as Nazanin, Juliette Motamed as Rana, and Maryam Grace as Zari is comedic and the tamer performances of Isabella Nefar as Shideh and Emily Renée as Salme is more realistic. This balance kept the humour from becoming too much. The play’s strongest aspect is the evolving relationship between Nazanin, Salme, and Zari. What stands out is Dehrouyeh as Nazanin, who delivers a powerful, emotional scene near the end that moves the audience.
Wish You Were Here is currently playing at The Gate Theatre until 23rd November.
Get your tickets here: https://www.gatetheatre.co.uk/wish-you-were-here-uk-premiere/tickets
WRITTEN BY: Nura Arooj
