NEW YORK—Part of this year's Brits Off Broadway festival, David Greig's Damascus, offers the story of Paul (Ewen Bremner), a Scottish educator who arrives in that city to try to sell a new English-language teaching course to the Syrian Ministry of Education.
Paul holds his meetings in the lobby of the pleasant but not elegant Syrian Hotel where he is staying. (A nice set by Anthony MacIlwaine.) The language barrier proves a bit confounding, as the Syrian rep, Wasim (Alex Elliott), with whom Paul has an appointment, is more interested in renewing a prior romance with the lovely Muna (Nathalie Armin), who acts as interpreter for Paul. Of course, Paul is unable to follow the couple's personal conversations, which adds to his confusion.
Although Paul is married (with a wife back in Scotland), he too becomes interested in Muna, and their talks intriguingly contain discussions regarding the social and political values of their respective societies. Muna appears alternately interested, then disinterested, in Paul's advances. Their cultural differences may present a stumbling block.
Offering some delightful variety is the hotel clerk, Zakaria (Khalid Laith), who makes himself clear in spite of his broken English. He wants to meet women, and he tries to persuade Paul to go the center of town and find some American women to date. Zakaria also has higher goals. He calls himself a writer. He has written a story, and urges Paul to take the manuscript back to Europe or Hollwood with him and have a movie made from it.
Interestingly placed on a high platform above the small stage is a grand piano. There presides a luscious brunette, Elena (Dolya Gavanski), who sings invitingly and also serves as the bridge between the comedic and tragic elements in the play.
The play is both very amusing and often bittersweet, as the various characters come to realize it is extremely difficult to cross the cultural divides of their very different experiences. East is East, and West is West, as they say.
Ewen Bremner's Paul deliciously projects the bewilderment of a man trying to keep his wits together in an unfamiliar environment. Nathalie Armin conveys both a sense of practicality and exotic mystery. Alex Elliott conveys the impatience of a man trying to bed a lovely woman while attempting to avoid the thorn in his side of this Scotsman whose project holds no interest for him. Khalid Laith's clerk/writer is appealing as is Dolya Gavanski's cocktail-lounge pianist.
Brought to New York from the Traverse Theatre Company in Edinburgh, Scotland, under Philip Howard's direction, "Damascus" is altogether an appealing, unusual, and entertaining evening in the theater.
Damascus
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59 Street
Reservations:(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Closes: June 1
Diana Barth writes and publishes "New Millennium," an arts newsletter. For information: diabarth@juno.com
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