In ‘English,’ Marjan Neshat Grapples With Language, Identity And Home

The Iranian-born actor’s Broadway debut mirrors her own transcontinental experiences with family and belonging.

Marjan Neshat had never worked with playwright Sanaz Toossi before reading the script for “English,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama now playing on Broadway. Still, the Iranian-born actor felt an instant connection to Toossi’s work that was reinforced by the fact that her character in the play shares her first name.

“Sanaz jokes that she wrote me into being,” Neshat said with a laugh. “I don’t know if that’s true, but the way I pronounce my name in the play is the way you pronounce it in Farsi. It’s the first time in my adult life that I don’t mispronounce my own name onstage. I knew there was gold in the play.”

“English,” which opened Jan. 23 at New York’s Todd Haimes Theatre, is set in Karaj, an Iranian city about 27 miles west of Tehran, circa 2008. Neshat’s character, Marjan, has returned to Iran after nine years in England and is teaching a course for adult students preparing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a standardized exam used to assess non-native English speakers’ proficiency.

Each of Marjan’s four students have unique motivations. The eldest, Roya (Pooya Mohseni), is hoping to relocate to Canada to live with her son and his family, while 18-year-old Goli (Ava Lalezarzadeh) sees learning English as her way of seeking new opportunities.

Marjan finds herself at odds with the headstrong Elham (Tala Ashe), who is determined to pass the TOEFL after five unsuccessful attempts. Elham grows suspicious of Marjan when the teacher develops a tight-knit relationship with a male student, Omid (Hadi Tabbal), whose grasp of English is superior to that of his classmates.