The first act of Martin Yousif Zebari’s “Layalina” at the Goodman Theatre is set in Baghdad in March 2003, the month when then-President George W. Bush announced that U.S. forces had begun military operations in Iraq and just weeks before Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pulled down a statue of Saddam Hussein in that city’s Firdos Square. The second act is set in 2020 on Church Street in Skokie.
Both acts, though, take place in a comfortable home despite the turmoil of the world outside. In essence, Zebari, whose own family emigrated from Iraq to the U.S., has penned a multigenerational family drama that explores many of the traditional themes of the genre, including the rebellion of young people from their parents’ traditional values and the slow acceptance of change by the crotchety oldsters. As an immigrant drama, it also explores the personal complexities of any forced diaspora, be they financial, organizational or just from immense loneliness. After a harrowing exit, the family finds themselves flung to Australia, the United Kingdom, and, yes, Skokie.
“Layalina,” which is directed by Sivan Battat on a cool set from the designer casaboyce and is fabulously costumed by Dina El-Aziz, has much to recommend it: this first full production has vibrant characters, lots of funny family comedy, a delightful central performance from Becca Khalil as two very different characters, a generous piece of acting from Mattico David as the family patriarch and, above all for me, a rich sense of the closest of extended families, be they in Baghdad or Skokie. The show is very present and alive and the audience at Monday’s opening responded accordingly. I sat there missing family members far away, which indicates the strength of the bonds in the show.
But the structure of the piece needs a whole lot more work. Act 1 unspools quite successfully as we see the young generation (played by Waseem Alzer, Ali Louis Bourzgui and Khalil) head into danger even as their elders (Atra Asdou and David) worry about getting out of the country.
But in Act 2, a lot of that tension dissipates and the play loses the clarity of its narrative arc. Part of the issue is that the second act is much too long, given that we can sense where things are going, but it’s also that the stakes just don’t rise enough, certainly as compared with what happened prior to intermission.
The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 smartly figure in, and the play begins to draw a parallel with what happened in Baghdad but it seems to drop that idea before fulfillment, and it felt to me like the writer had not yet figured out exactly what he wants to say there. The other issue is that given how the show takes place in Skokie, the action lacks the detail of everyday life: the audience loved any local references but there were few and they felt nonspecific. The play goes on to explore identity as the younger folk explore gender and sexuality in vibrant ways, but here again, the conflicts with parents could do to be sharper and more incisive.
You can tell how much Zebari (who uses he/they pronouns) loves their family from the writing and that ongoing openheartedness is one of this writer’s great strengths. Now they just have to work more on what could be a most compelling and moving story.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Layalina” (2.5 stars)
When: Through April 2
Where: The Goodman’s Owen Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.
Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Tickets: $15-$50 at 312-443-3800 and goodmantheatre.org