Goodman Falls in Love: On a Larger Stage, 'Yasmina's Necklace' Continues to Sparkle -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Yasmina's Necklace
by Rohina Malik
directed by Ann Filmer
Goodman Theatre, Chicago
Thru November 19
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The titular character of Yasmina’s Necklace is an unwed adult Chicagoan who is especially close with her sole living parent.

She loves the art of Pablo Picasso, the music of Bruce Springsteen and desserts sold by Trader Joe’s.

She has a sharp wit, strong convictions, an assertive sense of self and the desire to help those less fortunate, yet is beset by insecurities, openly references herself as “not normal” and engages in creative endeavors for therapeutic sustenance.

All of which, except for her gender, makes Yasmina very much like me.

And perhaps you.

But bespeaking the shrewdness of Rohina Malik’s excellent play—now being staged at Chicago's prestigious Goodman Theatre after premiering last year at Berwyn's 16th Street Theater with much the same cast, likewise under the direction of Ann Filmer—Yasmina also happens to be a hijab-wearing Muslim who has survived a torturous and tragic past before arriving in America as an Iraqi refugee with her father Musa.

Photo credit on all: Liz Lauren

Which is why Yasmina's Necklace reflects what I see as theater's greatest value:

Not only to challenge our way of thinking but--as with travel and certain TV, film, books, journalism, etc.--to help us understand the vast similarities that accompany skin-deep differences and to prompt the realization that everyone we encounter has a backstory to which we're oblivious.

Malik, who I have come to know via seeing and reviewing her three produced plays to date--Unveiled, The Mecca Tales and Yasmina's Necklace, which I had seen in Berwyn--and interviewing her for a pair of insightful Seth Saith profiles (2015, 2016), is a writer particularly deft at this.

Although she is Muslim and a playwright, who has focused quite enlighteningly on Islamic characters in her works, it feels a bit short-changing to call her a "Muslim playwright," if only because doing such might make some--even well beyond the outright bigoted--incorrectly assume her plays won't be readily identifiable or relevant to their own lives.

But as director Filmer pointed out in a Sunday afternoon discussion about the play with Malik and moderator Maudlyne Ihejirika of the Chicago Sun-Times, when the Goodman recently staged a brilliant interpretation of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge, it's doubtful anyone thought of it as an "Italian play," even though it chronicles Italian-American characters.

Perhaps in the mid-'50s when Miller wrote it, the ethnicity he focused on may have rolled some eyes, but now A View From the Bridge is presumably regarded as one of the master's parables depicting families--of various backgrounds--such as Death of a Salesman, All My Sons and The Price.

Certainly, it is too early in Rohina Malik's playwriting career to compare her too directly with Arthur Miller--who I consider the greatest practitioner of the art short of Shakespeare--but Yasmina's Necklace is similar in its specific characters also being universal, and in the play working on several levels.

As it begins, a young businessman named Sam (Michael Perez, excellent here as in Berwyn and other roles I've seen) is getting grief from his Muslim parents due to his hesitancy to meet Yasmina (Susaan Jamshidi, also in a brilliant reprise), as they want him to.

With rather zestful sniping reminiscent of first-rate sitcom dialogue--and families of any heritage--Ali (Amro Salama), an Iraqi immigrant, and his Puerto Rican wife, Sara (Laura Crotte), who converted to Islam in college, are also upset that Sam has Americanized his name for career purposes, from Abdul Sameer. (Salama and Crotte are also 16th Street holdovers and terrifically so.)

Though clearly loving, Sam's headstrong folks appear far more concerned about the ridicule his recently-ended "love marriage" to a non-Muslim woman has brought upon them than his own resultant depression and the pharmacological cocktail he takes to combat it.

Sam's first encounter with Yasmina, who lives with her father Musa (Rom Barkhordar)--a dentist in Iraq relegated to driving a taxi in Chicago--goes about as poorly as both have insisted it will, resistant as they are to being set-up by their well-meaning yet quite persistent parents.

And a bit akin to the central Eddie character in A View From the Bridge, Sara--who has accompanied Sam, Ali and a local Imam (Allen Gilmore) in meeting Yasmina and Musa--demonstrates that even those within ostracized cultures can often treat others in their own community with prejudice.

But though upon learning that Yasmina is a refugee and her dad a cabbie, Sam's mom quickly becomes less enthused about the courtship than he is, at their first meeting Sam compliments Yasmina's paintings infused by the ravages of war--strikingly created in actuality by Ahmad Abdulrazzaq--and also offers a friend's assistance toward her plans for a charitable organization for refugees.

This provides narrative rationale for Sam and Yasmina to meet again, and though what happens from there can largely be surmised, on this second viewing I found Malik's script to be strongest--despite much humor, observation and poignancy throughout--when Yasmina guilelessly speaks of her trepidations, made all the more powerful by Jamshidi's unflinching performance.

Great theater should surprise you--and this play probably does so more on a sociocultural level than in terms of dramatic twists--but even more so, it should connect with you.

And in Sam calling himself a "salad" due to his multicultural mix, Yasmina's identification with the fractured figures of Picasso's Cubist paintings due to her horrific past--revealed onstage in ways I'll let you discover--or through the African-American Imam's frankness about serving a largely Arab community because it is where opportunity led, much of what happens in Yasmina's Necklace should resonate with you.

...whether you are Italian or Polish or Irish or Korean or Indian or Jewish or Catholic or Muslim or a mutt of any racial or religious combination.

I've repeatedly heard Malik share that one of her main motivations as a playwright is a desire to enhance perceptions of Muslims, who she notes are typically portrayed as "the three B's"--billionaires, bad guys or belly dancers--but never just people.

Or families.

So combining her own experiences--including, as a jumping off point in this case, being friends with a Puerto Rican Muslim married to an Arab--with plenty of research and rewrites, she has aimed to illustrate that those of the Islamic faith merit recognition as individuals and are vastly different from one another (is everyone of your religion an extremist?) yet have universal commonalities with those of other backgrounds.

As such, each primary character in Yasmina's Necklace is both beautiful and damaged, loving and imperfect, hopeful and hurting and ultimately, like the rest of us--to quote the Boss as the show itself does, to my delight--just "Dancing in the Dark."

With balcony seats in the Goodman's Owen Theater starting at just $10--I sat up there with my mom & sister and found both sight & sound to be perfectly fine--there is no good reason not to see Yasmina's Necklace.

Especially any notion that it is about people who aren't really like you.

Love, American Style: Of Muslims, Hispanics, Refugees and Romance, 'Yasmina's Necklace' Holds Universal Charms -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review 

Yasmina's Necklace

a World Premiere play
by Rohina Malik

directed by Ann Filmer

16th Street Theater, Berwyn, IL
Thru February 27
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I don't claim to be perfectly magnanimous nor enlightened, but I believe it wrong to dislike, devalue, denigrate or discriminate against anyone based on his or her race, ethnicity, homeland, immigration status, religion (or lack thereof), skin color, appearance, manner of dress, language, accent, physical capacity, mental prowess, psyche, health, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, income, education, occupation, employment, passions, pursuits, allegiances, beliefs or other factors that don't determine the quality of their heart and soul.

As the late great David Bowie perhaps elucidated me more than anyone, we can all be freaks--and heroes--in our own special way, and those most derided for being different can truly be the most exceptional.

While hating others for minor perceived differences has likely been an ugly aspect of human nature since the dawn of man, recent "political" rhetoric has despicably reiterated just how inhumane people can be to those they believe somehow unequal.

I'm not above certain biases, but numerous travels, cultural explorations and life experiences have shown me that we all have far more similarities than we do differences.

Except for the malevolent or petty few of any and all backgrounds, most everyone everywhere seems to congruently want and value peace, comfort, safety, security, health, love, family and friendship, with hopes for a happy, fun, meaningful life for themselves and--if apt--their kids.

I believe this as intrinsically true in the Middle East as I do the Midwest.

But yes, this is a theater review, not a mislabeled societal screed, although my hope above is to rather prosaically reflect some of the territory Rohina Malik so artfully--and humorously and poignantly and sorrowfully--covers in her terrific new play, Yasmina's Necklace, world premiering at Berwyn's 16th Street Theater through February 27.

Under the direction of 16th St. Artistic Director Ann Filmer, the 2-hour romantic dramedy deftly balances considerable laugh out loud dialogue--and I've never been a big LOLer, but was here--with sobering reflections on war, slaughter, loss, longing, rape, abduction, displacement, refugees, prejudice, Islam, multiculturalism, assimilation, marriage, divorce, depression and more.

This may suggest a rather heavy and heady night of theater, but in the hands of a skilled cast, Malik's script shrewdly offsets anguish with ebullience while avoiding overt polemics in making for acutely enjoyable entertainment.

Based in Chicago, the two-act play begins with a sitcomesque scene in which a Muslim man born Abdul Samee is being boisterously chastised by his Iraqi father (Amro Salama) and Puerto Rican mother (Laura Crotte) for having legally changed his name to Sam following a divorce from a (presumably white) woman named Tracy.

Sam, engagingly played by Michael Perez--who I had enjoyed last fall in Funnyman, one of three actors here from my Top 5 Plays of 2015--is cajoled into meeting with Yasmina (an excellent Susaan Jamshidi, from Malik's The Mecca Tales) toward the possibility of an arranged marriage.

With her father Musa (Mark Ulrich, terrific here as he was in a very different role in Assassination Theater), Yasmina is an Iraqi refugee who saw her mom killed in Baghdad and suffered brutal torment in both her homeland and then Syria. She paints to cope with her pain, and has dedicated herself to founding an organization to help other refugees.

Along with a hijab, Yasmina proudly wears--in the face of bigoted insults--a necklace in the shape of Iraq, a gift from longtime friend Amir (Salar Ardebili), who factors in heavily through flashbacks that provide much of the play's harrowing gravity.

But while there is also considerable poignancy in the scenes with Sam, Yasmina, their parents and a local Imam (Miguel Nunez) in various combinations, including reminders that those who face intolerance and prejudice aren't immune from being similarly judgmental and derisive, there are ample amounts of comedy and romance that wouldn't feel out of place in a Meg Ryan movie.

On an attractive set designed by Joanne Iawanicka, director Filmer nicely blends punchlines and pathos, with a number of quite short yet important scenes seamlessly woven in, abetted by a notably agile lighting design by Cat Wilson.

I won't reveal any more of the plot, especially as anyone who can fit into the 49-seat venue for just $20 definitely should, but even as Yasmina's Necklace seems to be heading in expected directions in Act II, it twists in compelling ways.

Though I don't believe it is affecting this review in any impure way, I feel obliged to note that I met Rohina Malik after seeing her one-woman-five-character play Unveiled last year--it had debuted at 16th Street in 2009--greatly enjoyed The Mecca Tales, have now interviewed her twice for Seth Saith articles and also spoke with Ann Filmer toward a preview piece on Yasmina's Necklace.

So I can't deny I wanted this new play to be really good, particularly as I spoke to both Malik and Filmer afterwards. But along with the high praise I shared with them--and having seen 36 of this century's Tony Award nominees for Best Play, I honestly don't believe Broadway aspirations would be outlandish--there are a few elements that may benefit from ongoing thought and tinkering.

Early on, Sam's parents upbraid his Americanized name change, which he believes has made it easier to find work as a Financial Analyst, and Yasmina also takes issue with this assimilation. Yet while we see how Sam is bolstered in many ways by his developing relationship with Yasmina--though some of this is spoken of more than actually shown, or truly felt--by the end of the play, we don't know to what extent Sam has re-embraced Islam, what name he now prefers and how his choices may have impacted his career.

The writer and director both told me afterward that they consciously chose to avoid having too many threads for viewers to follow, and in finding the play very cohesive and well-paced despite numerous topics, tones and time shifts, I trust their judgment yet still think there might be a way to better define Sam's evolution.

And though Yasmina's Necklace could easily be set in any large American city or even Malik's native London, given that Chicago is mentioned, it's possible the locale could be better leveraged.

Only a planned outing to the Art Institute of Chicago employs the Windy City with any specificity, and without meaning this as an explicit suggestion, it dawns on me that I can't recall ever seeing a woman wearing a headscarf at either Chicago ballpark. Given Malik's enlightening me in many realms of her faith and culture, I'm genuinely curious what she might suggest Yasmina would encounter if Sam took her to, say, Wrigley Field, perhaps chaperoned by the Imam--who cheekily might ridicule them both for not being White Sox fans. (The notion here being to somehow address the ongoing racism, Islamophobia and cultural divides that pervade even the most diverse of American cities.)

But then, to Malik's great credit, I think it's a disservice to imply Yasmina's Necklace is a play about Muslims. Although it portrays refugees and Muslims and Iraqis and Latinos with a generosity of spirit that will forever be foreign to Donald Trump--and provides many enlightening insights, including that Iraq had once been known for having the most educated women--this is truly a play about people.

American people.

Including, as referenced within, those who love Bruce Springsteen, much as I do. (As though there weren't enough other reasons for me to like this play.)

If you've ever gotten grief from your parents, battled anxiety over a broken relationship, worried about pursuing a new one, had a first encounter not go as planned, grieved over the loss of loved ones, failed to have past accomplishments appreciated in new settings or been chided by your dentist about flossing more, etc., etc., there is a whole lot you'll be able to identify with--and laugh at, and maybe cry over--in Yasmina's Necklace.

Wherever you came from, whenever you arrived or however you got here.

Re-engaging with Playwright Rohina Malik About 'Yasmina's Necklace' andthe Art of Opening Minds -- New Play Premieres at Berwyn's 16th St.Theater from Jan. 21 - Feb. 27

(Note: This is a preview and feature story, not a review.)

Among my greatest passions in life are attending live theater, blogging and furthering my understanding of the human condition in ways that can ideally promote harmony rather than hatred.

In all three realms, playwright Rohina Malik helped make 2015 a rewarding year.

Last January, I saw Malik perform Unveiled, her acclaimed one-woman play about being Muslim in post-9/11 America, and then in March conducted an illuminating interview with her for a lengthy blog article in advance of her first full-cast play to be produced, The Mecca Tales at Chicago Dramatists.

I saw, loved and reviewed The Mecca Tales a few days later, and at year's end would rank it as my 3rd favorite play seen in 2015.

Not having had further direct contact with Rohina since March, I was excited when the opportunity arose to discuss her newest play, Yasmina's Necklace, which will be directed by Ann Filmer in a world premiere production at the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn from January 21 to February 27.

But while I presumed that the time between our conversations must have been personally and theatrically gratifying for Malik--with The Mecca Tales having earned a Jeff Award nomination for new play, Unveiled still being performed near & far and her latest play being readied to debut--I was concerned about how she was coping with the seeming uptick in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment perpetuated by Donald Trump amid the Syrian refugee crisis and tragedies in Paris and San Bernardino.

Fortunately, assuaging my fears that a cordial "How are you?" query might come off a bit trite, Rohina as-positively-as-ever replied:

"Great! The new play's in rehearsal and it's going really well. Once you get to see the actors onstage, the script starts to morph, and that's really exciting." 

Certainly, over the course of our chat, Rohina would express dismay and concern about the malevolent rhetoric, Trump's bigoted proposals to deny Muslims entry to the U.S. and a recent rise in hate crimes--at one point referencing unsettling allusions to Hitler and Nazism that, while echoing thoughts I've had, were that much more harrowing coming from a peaceful, constructive member of the Muslim-American community. 

Susaan Jamshidi - Photo credit: Joe Mazza

But while noting that after a 7-year gestation Yasmina's Necklace is being unveiled at a timely juncture, Rohina Malik is far more excited about creating dialogue through her art than merely decrying societal injustice, whether on a micro or macro level.

"I believe the language of the play shapes things in a positive and beautiful way, prompting each viewer to ask, 'What can I do?'" while avoiding easy stereotypes."

Malik's ability to broach potent themes uniquely yet universally is one of the aspects that has Yasmina's Neckace director Ann Filmer eager to again share Malik's voice with patrons of the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn, where Unveiled also premiered under Filmer's direction in 2009.

"At its heart, Yasmina's Necklace is a love story, between a Muslim man who has Americanized his name to Sam, strayed from his faith and lost his roots, and Yasmina, who is an Islamic Iraqi refugee along with her father.

"I generally am not partial to romantic comedies, but while being a very funny writer whose work is quite accessible, Rohina has really created a story we haven't seen before--involving the concept of contemporary arranged marriage, something quite foreign to me--but yet makes it universal."

Both Malik and Filmer are ecstatic over the 7-member cast they've assembled for the 5-week run, which happens to include actors I enjoyed in plays I picked as my 2nd, 3rd and 4th favorites of 2015.

Susaan Jamshidi, part of The Mecca Tales at Chicago Dramatists, stars as Yasmina, with Filmer noting that the actress has long accompanied the play's development, including as part of a reading that provoked the director's interest.

After playing alongside George Wendt and Tim Kazurinsky in Bruce Graham's excellent Funnyman last fall at Northlight Theatre--in Skokie, where both I and Rohina graduated from Niles North High School some years apart--Michael Perez embodies Sam, the son of an Iraqi father and Puerto Rican mother who imagines himself Italian.

According to Rohina, who spent her first 15 years in London, the daughter of an Pakistani mother and Indian father, it was important for her to reflect upon the Latino Muslim community, as notions of Islam being synonymous with Arabs or the Middle East ignore the truth that Indonesia and Pakistan are home to the world's largest Muslim populations, which globally exceed 1 billion people in many disparate locales.

And having recently found Mark Ulrich superb as an FBI Agent armed with riveting revelations in Hillel Levin's JFK docu-drama, Assassination Theater, I'm very much looking forward to his turn in Yasmina's Necklace, along with Miguel Nunez, Laura Crotte, Amro Salama and Salar Ardebili.

Ulrich also brings an existing connection with the playwright, having participated in early renditions of Unveiled before Filmer realized the material resonated greatest coming literally from Rohina's own voice.

According to the director, who founded the 16th Street Theater in 2007 and serves as its Artistic Director, audiences instantly came to love Rohina, and she believes patrons of diverse backgrounds and mindsets will again value Malik's insights, observations and unique perspectives.

"I'll never forget a young man, who had come as part of a group from a rural college, quite emotionally saying 'Thank you for this story' to Rohina after seeing Unveiled, admitting that she had helped to counter his negative assumptions about Muslims."

Taking pride in being the most affordable Equity (actors union) theater in Illinois--tickets are just $20, with a $2 discount for Berwyn residents--the 49-seat venue inside the Berwyn Cultural Center almost entirely presents new works, representing a diverse array of writers and themes meant to stimulate conversation.

"Theater is dialogue," states Filmer, while sharing that post-show discussions will take place after Thursday and Friday performances of Yasmina's Necklace. "The reason to put on a play is so audiences can talk about it afterward."

Dealing with a variety of issues, including religion, observance, loss of faith, assimilation, refugees, romance and more, Yasmina's Necklace will stimulate plenty of dialogue, according to Malik, who professes to feel no pressure to portray Muslims with any particular sensitivity, focusing instead on simply "telling the best story I can."

"Yasmina's Necklace is my favorite work so far. It has great characters, but every one has their flaws, and that's really what I'm trying to do, create human beings on stage that audience members of all backgrounds can identify with.

"With all the rhetoric going on right now, I'm happy to do what I can by presenting a play that will create dialogue. Not just about hate, but also things like the imbalance in the way Muslims are covered in the media, and are made to feel collectively complicit [when a terrorist act occurs], unlike Christians were after the Planned Parenthood attack."

Aligned with Malik and Filmer regarding the vital importance and insight of art--including highlighting our similarities far more than the minor differences that often form the basis for acrimony, vitriol and worse--I'm looking forward to seeing Yasmina's Necklace on its official opening weekend, and will write my review after.

On a dramatic level, I hope I like it as much as--or even more than--I did The Mecca Tales.

But if nothing else, I already admire what its author has to say.

---
Yasmina's Necklace by Rohina Malik, directed by Ann Filmer; January 21-February 27 at 16th Street Theater, Berwyn. Tickets and season subscriptions available through 16thStreetTheater.org or 708-795-6704.

An Enlightening Conversation with Playwright Rohina Malik about Muslims, Misconceptions and What Led Her to 'Mecca Tales'

(Note: This is not a review of The Mecca Tales, a play I will see soon and review separately. Rather it is a preview and profile piece about its writer, Rohina Malik, based on an interview I conducted.)

Sometimes the most gratifying surprises in life are the ones that shouldn't be all that surprising.

Before I encountered Rohina Malik--first through Unveiled, a 5-woman, one actress play that she wrote and performed, then in an excellent hourlong conversation centered around her latest work, The Mecca Tales, opening this weekend at Chicago Dramatists with a 7-member cast--I held no enmity for Muslims, nor anyone who opts to wear cultural garb or pretty much anybody who hasn't provided an overt reason why they shouldn't be treated with anything but respect & dignity.

But as tolerant, ethnologically-curious and embracing of multiculturalism as I like to believe I am, I can't deny that Rohina--from the stage and in-person--opened my eyes and broadened my mind considerably...about Islam, women, humanity, commonality, hatred and much more.

In Unveiled--which I saw at the Skokie Public Library in January as part of my hometown's Coming Together: Voices of Race program--Rohina expertly voices five Muslim women with greatly differing individuality and places of origin, largely to address post-9/11 backlash against Islam. She elucidates on why headcoverings are worn--in her own case, a hijab covering the hair due to a belief in modesty--and portrays the hardship, honor and pride of each woman. Particularly withering is when she embodies a character who is scornfully told, "Take that shit off your head."

A scene from The Mecca Tales at Chicago Dramatists

Just as powerful as the 2009 play, which Rohina continues to perform across the country, was a post-show discussion in which she forcibly imparted that "Murder is forbidden in Islam; what the extremists are doing is not in the name of Islam."

World premiering at Chicago Dramatists, where Rohina is a Resident Playwright, The Mecca Tales also features five disparate Muslim women, but is entirely its own work, not an ensemble-cast evolution of Unveiled.

"I felt free to tell a story, as a playwright who is Muslim, but not simply as a "Muslim playwright." I addressed specific aspects of the culture in Unveiled and didn't feel I needed to explain in this piece why the women wear veils; they just do.

"I think this is a more universal narrative that examines concerns that are common to everyone, as the women reveal what brought them to Mecca, often having little to do directly with religion.

"The Mecca Tales will smash stereotypes about Muslims."

Born in London to a mother from Pakistan and father from India, Rohina moved to the Chicago area with her family when she was 15.

She graduated from my alma mater, Niles North High School--several years after my class of '86--where a short play she wrote earned lavish praise from a drama teacher. Yet at DePaul University, she majored in Comparative Religion rather than Theater.

It wasn't until after she was married, a mother and into her 30s that "I noticed a void in my soul" and soon wound up taking a writing class at Victory Gardens.

"I finally followed my heart and listened to my inner voice--and I've never been happier. We all have an inner light others try to blow out, but you always have to believe in yourself."

She is now an Artistic Associate at the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn and initially developed The Mecca Tales during a residency at Goodman Theatre, where she was a member of the Playwrights Unit.

Speaking with me within the theater at Chicago Dramatists where previews of The Mecca Tales "have been going wonderfully," Rohina was effusive about how the organization noted for nurturing Resident Playwrights has brought her vision to the stage.

Lavishing praise on Rachel Edwards Harvith, the show's director, Rohina credited her with being a wonderful collaborator who is willing to try things the playwright suggests, and is "great with actors" because "she calms, listens and guides."

Sharing that The Mecca Tales is about "the spiritual journeys we take in life," as it revolves around the five women who travel to Mecca for Hajj, Rohina expounded when I asked what she would like audiences to take away from the play.

"I hope that everyone might take a pilgrimage in their own life, regardless of any religious faith or beliefs. We need to slow down as a society, to sometimes get away from it all.

"The women in the play find a connection with Earth and sky, which allows them to ask--as we all should--'What is the purpose of my life?'"

Another motivating desire is that individuals come to have a better understanding of her faith, which she notes one-fourth of the world's population follows.

"Don't put Muslims in a box. The largest Muslim country is Indonesia; second is Pakistan. Yet many people think only of Arabs in regards to Islam.

"Muslims are like everyone else. We have morals and values, we care about love, loss, family and friends and we value human life."

Rohina was also quite illuminating when I asked about perceptions some may have about Islam, given not only terrorist acts but how the media can portray Muslims as intolerant and--noting the Charlie Hebdo massacre that happened shortly before I attended Unveiled--extremely sensitive and humorless.

"The Koran is clear about [responding to] mockery. It says, 'Don't sit with them,' not 'Go kill them,'" she stressed.

"Muslims are against killing, and Islamic scholars have written open letters to ISIS condemning their actions, but that doesn't get covered enough by the media. Contrary to what may be portrayed, the Muslim community does speak out against terrorism.

"A key Islamic belief is that God will not forgive the taking of another human life. And the word Jihad means struggle, not holy war, nothing to do with violence. Its meaning has been hijacked and, in truth, terrorists are often ignorant of Islam."

As this was, to my recollection, the first in-depth discussion of its kind I've ever had with a Muslim--not due to any aversion as much as a lack of opportunity and effort--I was fascinated with how Rohina educated me about the truths of the religion that is clearly intrinsic to her being.

But as I've long been leery of any religion, including my own--Judaism--that seems to force rituals upon its followers and shame those who opt for personal choice, I applauded Rohina espousing that "Nothing should be mandated.

"The Koran says that there is no compulsion in religion."

She also corroborated my assumption that, as with Jews, there are Muslims at many differing levels of orthodoxy, whose customs and even beliefs may vary.

According to her, most Muslims felt the media brouhaha over Michelle Obama not wearing a headscarf in Saudi Arabia was silly, especially given all the far more serious issues being faced, but she did note that Saudi Arabia is the most vigilant country in insisting Muslim women cover their heads.

As much as I enjoyed Rohina furthering my understanding of Islam and the vast majority of Muslims for whom peace, security, life and love are as important as to anyone else, what resonated just as loudly was how congruent her sensibilities are with mine regarding matters that have nothing to do with religion or faith-based spirituality.

Only posing about half of my planned questions because of how much I simply enjoyed talking with her--and because she had a subsequent interview scheduled in conjunction with The Mecca Tales--I ended by asking what change she would like to see in the world.

"I pray that people stop stereotyping Muslims," was her first response, to which I'm 100% empathetic.

Yet even more acutely aligned with what I try to champion is what she said next.

"Please support live theater; without audiences there is no theater.

"It's the arts that will change the world."

Anyone who peruses this blog with any regularity should know how much I believe the same, and I shared with Rohina my dream of somehow helping teens and others realize the wonders of cultural & artistic exploration, not only as a matter of entertainment, but for emotional nourishment and therapeutic sustenance.

Clearly proud of what she's accomplished and any effect her work might have, Rohina Malik ended our talk by revealing how people have come up to her, crying, after seeing Unveiled--I imagine The Mecca Tales will prompt similar reactions--and said:

"I now know what I thought was wrong. Your play really opened my eyes."

Which left me tremendously impressed by how both of the changes this talented, thoughtful, entirely personable woman most wants to see in the world--involving cultural understanding and the impact of culture--are inextricably linked, not only in who she is, but in who we should all aim to be.

---
The Mecca Tales runs at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., through April 12. For tickets, click here.