"Mahmoud" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“Mahmoud”
Written by Tara Grammy and Tom Arthur Davis
Performed by Tara Grammy
Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic
Theatre Reviews Limited
Tara Grammy’s “Mahmoud” intertwines the lives of three characters that have one thing in common: the sacred and beautiful place called Iran. Two of them call one of the world’s oldest civilizations home, and one of them is engaged to an Iranian. Currently, they all live in Canada.
If Tara Grammy fails to convey nothing else to her appreciative audiences, she powerfully conveys two things. When far too many average Americans (or other world citizens) think ‘Iran,’ they characteristically think of Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, development of nuclear weapon capability, Jihad, and a dangerous terrorist country. That is a fact. When those same Americans (or other world citizens) think “Iranian,” they think radical Islamic person, terrorist, dangerous person. That, too (unfortunately), is a fact.
Ms. Grammy addresses the latter of the two stereotypes in her powerfully successful “Mahmoud,” currently playing at Jimmy’s No. 43 as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. The concerns of the three characters, all played by Tara Grammy, are similar to the concerns of many Americans (and other world citizens). Mahmoud, an Iranian taxi driver, Emanuelos, a gay Spanish cologne salesperson, and Tara, a twelve-year-old Iranian-Canadian girl) are not unlike those sitting in the audience. Mahmoud is overqualified and underpaid; Emanuelos is engaged to an Iranian young man who has gone back to Iran to be with a dying family member; and Tara is beset with a barrage of adolescent angst including acceptance, body image, and hair color (and perhaps too much hair in too many wrong places).
What makes their collective angst different is that, added to the concerns common to other Canadians (or Americans, or other world citizens), they had the added burden of not being accepted for who they are: they all fall under the suspicion of the stereotypes generated by people who neither know anything about Iran or anything about the Iranian people. They are all pre-judged before they are known. This is the tragedy of “Mahmoud.”
Tara Grammy’s performance is consistently “spot on!” She delineates each of her characters carefully: each is a well-developed, round character with whom the audience can identify. Hopefully, we can come away from “Mahmoud” willing to engage all people we meet with no prejudice. That does not mean we will all like one another. One does not like taxi driver Mahmoud’s homophobia. The point is he is a human being who happens to be Iranian, who (unfortunately) is homophobic and a bit cantankerous. The latter two personality qualities have nothing to do with the former status of his humanity and his home.
Presented by The New York International Fringe Festival and Pandemic Theatre. Directed by Tom Arthur Davis. Lighting designed by Jenna Koenig; sound designed by Mike Conley.
All performances take place at Jimmy’s No. 43, 43 East 7th Street (Between 2nd and 3rd Avenue). Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates
Friday, August 17th @ 2:00 pm
Sunday, August 19th @ 5:30 pm
Friday, August 24th @ 5:00 pm
Saturday, August 25th @ 7:00 pm
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 | Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 |
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