When your home country is no longer a safe and nurturing place, do you stay or leave? And when a close-knit group of friends is scattered across continents by their individual responses to this dilemma, how do their relationships change over time?
Iranian American playwright Sanaz Toossi explores these questions in “Wish You Were Here,” a heartfelt drama that celebrates female friendships and parses their often complex dynamics with nuance and compassion. Set in the city of Karaj from 1978 to 1991, the play follows five women living through the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath. While political events are not the explicit focus, they serve as the driving forces that fracture this sisterhood.
Shadee Vossoughi, Gloria Imseih Petrelli, Yourtana Sulaiman, Tina Arfaee and Joan Nahid form the lively ensemble of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere, directed by Azar Kazemi. Gathered in an upper-middle-class home (scenic design by Lauren M. Nichols) to prepare for the wedding of Salme (Petrelli), the young women sing, dance and tease each other, swapping dirty jokes and cigarettes. This opening scene establishes the ready humor and affection between these friends and provides some early clues about the one-on-one relationships within the group.
Sadly, this is the last time we see all five friends together. When the second scene skips ahead to 1979, Rana (Nahid), the sole Jewish member of the primarily Muslim group, has disappeared without a word to any of them. Guessing, or rather hoping, that she has joined her brother in Israel, Salme in particular continues to search for Rana. As the years march on, their circle continues to shrink; Shideh (Arfaee) leaves to study medicine in the United States, while things get complicated between Salme and her remaining friends, Nazanin (Vossoughi) and Zari (Sulaiman).
Kazemi’s direction is quite effective during these early transitions. Between scenes, the lights dim and contemplative piano music plays (lighting design by Conchita Avitia and sound design by Thomas Dixon), while the character who is about to depart the group lingers onstage, rearranging furniture or props before thoughtfully glancing around the room on her way out. These quiet interludes allow the actors to make quick costume changes and give the audience a breath to think about what they just saw, without losing momentum. Kazemi’s careful pacing continues throughout the play, amplifying Toossi’s eloquent, emotionally intelligent writing.
While this is an ensemble-oriented show, Nazanin emerges as the closest figure to a protagonist, with a character arc that is sometimes frustrating and perplexing, but also heartbreakingly authentic. As Nazanin shares a sequence of scenes with just one or two of the other women, we learn about the internal jealousies and insecurities within the group. Eschewing tropes about female rivalries — this is no Iranian “Mean Girls” — Toossi probes the particular type of loneliness that individuals can experience while surrounded by friends.
Unlike many diasporic plays written by the children of immigrants, “Wish You Were Here” focuses more on the characters who stay in their native country than on those who leave. Toossi’s other play “English,” winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for drama, is also set in Karaj, but most of its characters are studying for a language exam that serves as the gateway to a life abroad. “Wish You Were Here” presents a range of perspectives on this deeply personal choice. As Nazanin points out in a later scene, more Iranians stayed than left in the wake of the revolution, but for Toossi’s characters, the results of this impossible decision seem mixed, no matter which option they choose.
Some of the play’s women who stay in Iran resume their education when the universities reopen and pursue their original career goals; others give up these dreams, and their lives turn out quite differently from what they’d imagined. For those abroad, making ends meet as an immigrant can be hard, but it’s worth the trouble to pursue a sense of stability and freedom for their children. In war, there are no perfect choices, as Toossi communicates so convincingly.
Though its setting is quite distinct, this play speaks to both the difficulty and importance of maintaining relationships during periods of political turbulence and rising social isolation — themes that will be relatable for anyone who feels exhausted by living through unprecedented times. At one point, Zari asks if it’s idiotic to think that things will ever go back to normal. As the world spins beyond our control, perhaps the best we can do is hold tightly to those we love, no matter the miles between us.
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Review: “Wish You Were Here” (3.5 stars)
When: Through October 19
Where: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes