Do you see any opposition between the New-York based Iranian surrealist author and his guest, an old man who is a messenger of a fatherly kiss from the author’s fatherland?
The encounter of these two seemingly odd characters leads to the most romantic moments in Farhad Aiish’s play “Seven Days with an Unwanted Guest in New York”.
The acclaimed play, which was warmly welcomed during public performances in October 2012, went on stage at the Main Hall of Tehran’s City Complex on Wednesday during the 31st Fajr International Theater Festival in Tehran.
The play is about an author who is writing his last novel, which is about a little boy who is aware of a near apocalypse but no one believes his words. He plans to commit suicide after completing the novel.
While concentrating on his writings, an old friend of his father comes to his apartment. He is a worldly-wise old man with a pair of bright eyes that shine from his wrinkled face. The presence of this uninvited guest in his home disturbs his writing process.
At first, the man considered the guest as an intruder; a simple-hearted old man with a lot of poems and parables, whose words disturb him.
However the old man tries his best to understand the world of his host, his anxiety and his world view in different ways.
The role of music in the play cannot be underemphasized. Two characters find their common world through Tibetan prayer songs and their worlds are linked when the old man understands the inner music of the novelist.
The old man rescues the little boy lost in the surrealist world of the novelist by the life he fully lives. The old man explains to the author about the generosity of nature, which always guides human beings throughout the years.
In seven steps, the author and the old man reunite to find their common world. Like the Seven Days of Creation, Nasirian sanctifies the world of the author with his kiss on behalf of the author’s father and his own father.
We are all speaking the same language, the language of nature, but the problem is, we do not listen to each other. The rhymes of the words and the feeling of the eyes reveal our true words.
The play is about unity, which exists in the world, despite all borders, all political interests and nationalities.
Aiish, who lived in the U.S. in his youth, said in an interview that he does not intend any specific location and time for such a global issue.
Nasirian and Aiish had performed the play in the United States and several other countries 18 years ago. They also staged the play at the main hall of Tehran’s City Theater Complex at the time.
The play was written by Aiish 19 years ago, when he lived in the United States. On his trip to the U.S., he asked Nasirian to join him in performing the play in the country.
Aiish previously said that Nasirian was selected for the play due to the character he played in “Mr. Simpleton”, which was directed by Daruish Mehrjuii in 1970.
SB/YAW
END