An American play, ‘Don’t Drink the Water’ will be staged by Davoud Bani-Ardalan at Tehran’s Hafez Theatre Hall from January 6.
Written by the well-known American actor, comedian, filmmaker and playwright Woody Allen in 1966, the play is considered his first great success, ISNA reports.
The stage is set inside an American Embassy behind the so-called Iron Curtain (referred to the eastern European communist states under the orbit of the former Soviet Union). It is the story of the Hollander family’s European vacation, which is interrupted when their plane is forced to land in Vulgaria. The Hollanders leave the plane to take pictures which result in charges of spying. Chased by Vulgarian soldiers, they take refuge in the American Embassy under the protection of the absent ambassador’s hapless son.
The play is replete with verbal humor and short satiric dialogues, described as “one big overfed American folk joke” and “a very funny situation comedy” by critic Otis L. Guernsey.
The show premiered on Broadway in 1966 and had 598 performances at three different Broadway theaters.
It has been translated into Persian by Negar Shaterian and will be performed by a group of 11 Iranian actors, including Sina Razani, Reza Afshar, Aida Sadeqi and Sepand Amir-Soleimani.
Filled with bright and hilarious dialogue, the play tries to portray the chaotic world of its time in the form of a theatrical circus. It was also adapted into a film and a television movie.
Woody Allen, 80, was born in New York and his career spans more than five decades, from writing and directing comedy dramas to playing jazz music. He has been nominated for Academy Awards 24 times in diverse categories, and won 4 Oscars. ‘Annie Hall’ (1977) and ‘Blue Jasmine’ (2013) are among his much-admired movies.
The Persian version of the play will run through January 20 at the hall, located at Shahriar St., Hafez Ave., Enqelab Ave.
Caption: A scene from the play
