**** Highly Recommended For once, a play totally lives up to its name. Iraq, but Funny is a screwball comedy that had the opening night audience in stitches. I didn’t know what to expect, but this show was so funny I missed lines because people were laughing. Playwright Atra Asdou ties the stories of five generations of Assyrian women into the history of the area by using the British guy as narrator and comic relief to tie it all together brilliantly. 4 BIG Spotlights
In addition to being a screwball comedy, Iraq, but Funny is also a history lesson – of a country, of a nationality, and of a family – complete with projections of charts, maps, news stories, even news reels starting with the Ottoman Empire, winding through the Middle East and ending up in Skokie.
Of course, since a British guy (Actor 5 – Atra Asdou) is our narrator, it becomes all about the British. There’s no doubt he’s a stereotype, as he marches around in his jodhpurs, riding boots and pith helmet, firing off snarky zingers, and even taking a few pratfalls. He talks directly to the audience, interacting with them, asking them to applaud, even giving a couple of them a microphone with instructions to read a statement he provided – also hilarious. When a character tries to divert the narrative, he informs them in no uncertain terms that he owns this story.
He cracked me up when he climbed onto a tall cabinet, only to sit next to an overhead projector (I thought they were obsolete but I guess not!) and hands slides one by one to a stagehand who patiently puts them on the glass.
Actor 1 (Susaan Jamshidi) and Actor 2 (Gloria Imseih Petrelli) play five generations of tradition-oriented mothers trying to make rebellious daughters follow tradition by getting married and having babies to ensure the next generations. Actor 3 (James Rana) and Actor 4 (Sina Pooresmaeil) play long-suffering fathers and husbands. They also try their best to take their story back from British guy – or at least ignore his snark.
I love going to Lookingglass Theatre! You never know what to expect. The most flexible theater space in the city is a different theater for every show, as everything from stage location to seating is reconfigured for every production. I can remember sitting in baseball bleachers for one play, and rough, wooden Chautauqua pews for another. For Iraq, but Funny, seating is arranged in tiers on three sides of the space, creating an intimate space in the center. The set is simple but functional. A pair of long pier-like walkways extend along each side connected by a third walkway which moves forward and back depending on the scene. A few pieces of furniture and cabinetry, a couple of doors and a trapdoor or two appear and disappear.
Iraq, but Funny runs through July 20th in the Lookingglass Joan and Paul Theatre inside the Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson Street, Chicago. Discounted parking is available at 875 N. Michigan, The Olympia Centre Self Park and Water Tower Place. Validate parking ticket at Lookingglass Box Office. Running time is approximately two hours, 25 minutes, with an intermission.
Performances: Wednesdays at 7:00 pm; Thursdays at 1:30 & 7:00 pm; Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 1:30 & 7:00 pm; Sundays at 1:30 pm. Additional performances at 7:00 pm Tuesdays, June 17th and July 1st. Tickets range from $30-$90. FYI www.lookingglasstheatre.org/event/iraq-but-funny/