Upon walking into Palmer 202, audiences of Wig and Candle’s production of Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced see two figures frozen in place, situated in a well-furnished apartment, ready to begin the play. One figure, Amir Kapoor, portrayed by Ramzi Kaiss ’17, is a corporate lawyer at a large firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Amir, who was born in Pakistan and raised Muslim, has actively chosen to assimilate into New York life and longs to be made partner at the firm. His relationship to Islam, as the 90-minute play unfolds, becomes more complicated as discussions of faith, racial profiling, 9/11 and other issues and historical moments, develop.
The other figure who shares the stage with Amir is his wife, Emily, portrayed by Kristina Harrold ’16. Emily, a white painter, is fascinated by Islamic traditions and art. She seeks to integrate the culture and history into her own work, which is to be presented in an upcoming, high profile show.
In the first scene of Disgraced, Emily encourages Amir to engage in a court case involving a local imam who has been accused of working with a terrorist organization. Her sentiments about Amir’s involvement are shared by his nephew, Abe Jensen (born Hussein Malik), played by C. Barbaros Manisali ’17. Abe strongly believes that the imam has been falsely convicted and urges Amir to participate. Amir does not act as the imam’s official counsel, but appears at the trial in support of the imam. His presence is misunderstood by the New York Times, which causes Amir great anxiety both professionally and personally, as his name is publically printed along with the firm’s.
Months later, Amir and Emily host a dinner party for Isaac, a Jewish art curator, played by Jason Karos ’18, and his wife, Jory, portrayed by Mellissa Edwards ’18, an African-American colleague of Amir’s. After discussing Emily’s excellent cooking skills and Jory’s lack of such skills, conversation among the four quickly gains momentum. Isaac mentions the New York Times article, which places Amir in an uncomfortable situation, tugging at something deeply personal. Debating about the history of Islam, its role in contemporary America and the world post-9/11, racial profiling, Islamic and Judaic traditions, Israel, the Qur’an and the Talmud, among other subjects, Amir and Issac come to physical blows.
The dinner party further deteriorates after Amir and Jory return from buying champagne. As Jory accuses Emily and Isaac of kissing each other on the couch, Amir yells at Jory for being made partner at the firm instead of him. He believes that the incidents surrounding the imam’s case have weakened his chances of becoming a partner and that his endless dedication will prove irrelevant. The highly charged energy of the scene results in the use of racial slurs from both couples. The explosive scene becomes even more turbulent as Amir discovers that Emily and Isaac had an affair in London. Amir reacts to this news by physically abusing Emily, which Abe accidentally becomes witness to.
These three characters reunite on the stage in the play’s concluding scene. After getting into an argument with a Starbucks barista about personal identity and contemporary issues relating to the Middle East and the U.S., Abe and his friend are questioned by FBI agents. Abe risks deportation, but finds that Amir’s help is limited. The play concludes with Amir sitting alone in his apartment with one of Emily’s paintings, a portrait of Amir inspired by Velázquez’s “Portrait of Juan de Pareja,” who was of Moorish descent.
After each showing of Disgraced, audiences were invited and encouraged to stay for a talkback to discuss the play and its underlying themes. These talkbacks were supported by the Department of Theater, the Department of Religious Studies, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Connecticut College Asian & Asian-American Student Associated (CASA). A number of Conn faculty and staff led the talkbacks, which gave viewers an opportunity to reflect on what they had just watched.
The talkback for opening night was led by Professor of Religious Studies Sharon Portnoff, Professor of History and Director of the Global Islamic Studies Program Eileen Kane and Professor of Religious Studies Sufia Uddin. Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life Claudia Highbaugh led the Oct. 2 talkbacks. Professor Uddin and Professor of History, Frederick Paxton led the Oct. 3 talkbacks.
Due to an immense interest in the play, Wig and Candle added a Saturday matinee to their show times. The sharpness of the play’s dialogue and its excellent presentation by the show’s actors and actresses, the relevance of the play’s material to contemporary times, and the hard work of the crew make Disgraced a show that one could watch several times and still leave with questions and curiosity.
Wig and Candle’s production of Disgraced was directed by Teresa Cruz ’16. Stage managing was done by Pansy Nguyen ’19; Janan Shouhayib ’16 was the dramaturg; Lana Richards ’17 was the fight choreographer; Elissa Webb ’17 was the technical director; Rebecca Brill Weitz ’18 was the lighting designer; Jack Beal ’18 designed the poster and was the photographer; and Cat Boyle ’16 was the artist for the show. •
