The entire 2022 Off-Broadway company of Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy “English” will reprise their turns for its upcoming Broadway premiere. The previously announced production will begin previews on Jan. 3, 2025 and open on Jan. 23 at Broadway’s Todd Haimes Theatre. Original director Knud Adams will helm the play, scheduled for a limited engagement through March 2.
The play’s cast comprises Tala Ashe as Elham, Ava Lalezarzadeh as Goli, Pooya Mohseni as Roya, Marjan Neshat as Marjan and Hadi Tabbal as Omid, all for whom “English” will mark their Broadway debuts.
Also newly announced is that “English” will feature the designers from the Off-Broadway mounting. That includes scenic designer Marsha Ginsberg, Tony Award-nominated costume designer Enver Chakartash, lighting designer Reza Behjat and sound designer Sinan Refik Zafar. The entire cast and creative team was jointly honored with a special citation at the 2023 Obie Awards.
Ashe earned a Leading Actress in a Play Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance in “English.” Her other Off-Broadway credits include “Breaking the Story” and “Troilus and Cressida.” On television, she is known for her turn as Zari Tomaz on the CW superhero series “Legends of Tomorrow.”
Lalezarzadeh’s television résumé includes playing Cleo on the Apple TV+ series “Before,” as well as guest spots on “The Morning Show” and “Big Mouth.” She wrote and starred in the short film “In the Garden of Tulips.”
In addition to the Atlantic production, Mohseni appeared in a 2024 staging of “English” at San Diego’s Old Globe. Her recent stage credits include Playwrights Horizons’ “In the Amazon Warehouse Parking Lot” and the Menier Chocolate Factory’s “The Sex Party.”
Neshat received the Drama Desks’ 2022 Sam Norkin Off-Broadway Award, a citation which acknowledged her performance in “English” and “Selling Kabul.” She starred in the solo thriller “Sandra” at the Vineyard Theatre.
Tabbal appeared in the 2023 production of “English” at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. His Off-Broadway credits include “Russian Troll Farm” at the Vineyard and “The Vagrant Trilogy” at the Public Theater.
Set in an English-language classroom in Iran, “English” follows several adult students as they prepare for their proficiency exam, sharing their dreams, goals, frustrations and secrets with one another.
“English” is being produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, under the leadership of interim artistic director Scott Ellis. As previously announced, Christopher Ashley will join as artistic director beginning in the 2025-2026 season.
