Beneath differing customs and languages, are people basically the same? Playwright Yussef El Guindi makes a strong case with his unique and endearing romantic comedy Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World. After a chance meeting, a free spirited American waitress and an Egyptian immigrant cab driver forge their own path together, while navigating the rocky shoals of failed relationships and divergent obligations of family and culture. It’s a lovely, brazenly hopeful tale of imperfect souls grasping for new love and purpose in this big American melting pot.
In an unnamed U.S. city, cab driver Musa (Ahmad Kamal) picks up spritely waitress Sheri (Rachel Felstein). After discovering an unexpected spark, they return to Musa’s apartment for spirited conversation about cultural origins, beauty standards, the perils of dating, and more. The endearing fumblings of this odd couple recall classic meet-cutes between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, or Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Felstein bubbles with dizzy energy (sometimes a bit over the top) and excellent comic timing, while Kamal exudes an infectious warmth and hope for the future, despite his modest circumstances. It’s refreshing to see the basic rom-com formula tweaked to include weighty themes of immigration and religion, reflecting the fabric of our increasingly diverse nation.
Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World closes February 16, 2020. DCTS details and tickets
As Musa and Sheri sleep following an unexpected night together, Musa’s roommate Abdallah (Freddie Lee Bennett) appears in a dreamlike state, floating about the stage in pristine white robes and shrouded in blue haze by lighting designer Brittany Shemuga. He recounts his journey from war-torn Sudan to America, trading civil strife for opportunity among a diverse immigrant community. Bennett at times struggles with a tricky Sudanese accent, but he brings an irrepressible joy to Adballah’s tale of helping other immigrants fulfill their dreams.
The next morning, Musa and Sheri decide to make things official, beginning a winding journey of romance and strife. Musa’s friend Tayyib (the likable Gerrad Alex Taylor), a street-smart Somali businessman, tosses sage advice and cold water into a poignant exchange in Musa’s cab. Tayyib relies on deadpan humor to detail his past relationship with an American woman, revealing how their divergent backgrounds made him feel like a “double foreigner.” It’s as convincing, if depressing, an argument for marrying inside your own culture as you’re likely to hear. Still, Musa is undaunted.
Things get really spicy when a woman from Musa’s recent past unexpectedly enters the scene. It’s hard to describe Gamila (Sanam Laila Hashemi) without ruining the plot, but I can say that her presence throws a giant wrench into Musa and Sheri’s burgeoning relationship. As an American-educated Muslim clinging tightly to her traditions, Gamila provides a fascinating inverse of Musa’s growing rejection of those very customs. Hashemi is a revelation in scene after scene. Initially, she conceals Gamila’s anger, love, cynicism, and hope just below the steely surface of her modest Muslim ideal. She then removes Gamila’s emotional armor, piece by piece, resulting in a stirring performance that hints at an even higher ceiling for this young actress.
[adsanity_rotating align=”aligncenter” time=”10″ group_id=”1455″ /]
Mosaic Theater Company reliably highlights moving, relevant perspectives from underrepresented corners of society. In the experienced hands of director Shirley Serotsky, Pilgrims becomes another brick in Mosaic’s wall of multicultural successes. With humor and heart – and without preaching or politics – it makes a persuasive case for a shared humanity that spans cultures and oceans.
Pilgrims: Musa & Sheri in the New World by Yussef El Guindi. Directed by Shirley Serotsky. Featuring Ahmad Kamal, Rachel Felstein, Freddie Lee Bennett, Gerrad Alex Taylor, and Sanam Laila Hashemi. Set design by Nephelie Andonyadis. Lighting design by Brittany Shemuga. Costume design by Danielle Preston. Sound design by Roc Lee. Properties design by Michelle Elwyn. Dramaturgy by Salma Zohdi. Intimacy consulting by Claudia Rosales Waters. Dialect coaching by Zach Campion. Stage management by Laurel VanLandingham. Assistant stage management by Erica Feidelseit. Produced by Mosaic Theater Company of DC. Reviewed by Ben Demers.
