The Midtown Internation Theater Festival presents

DEATH OF THE PERSIAN PRINCE

The Davenport Black Box Theater
354 West 45th St.
NY NY 10036

23, 25, 26 July

Written and Directed by Dewey Moss
Starring Pooya Mohseni, George Faya and Gopal Divan

With the recent Supreme Court decision, being LGBT has been something to celebrate in this country. In other countries, however, it is not so joyous. Iran is one of the worst countries in which to be homosexual. It can even mean a death sentence. However, because of a fatwa issued by the ayatollah, being transgender is not only legal, but supported by the government. This has led to the unusual situation of homosexuals being pressured to get sexual reassignment surgery, even though gender and sexuality are not at all the same thing. In some cases, it can be the only choice other than execution.

This is the inspiration for DEATH OF THE PERSIAN PRINCE, a new short play by Dewey Moss. At 55 minutes, a lot of information is densely packed into this piece about a woman who seems ambivalent about settling down with her handsome boyfriend, until her abusive brother shows up. It is clear from the very beginning that Samantha (Pooya Mohseni) has secrets, and that her boyfriend James (George Faya), while sweet and loving, is no match for either her intellect or sophistication. All hell breaks loose when Sam’s brother, Cas (Gopal Divan) arrives ready to blackmail her into coming back to their native country of Iran. When she doesn’t instantly capitulate, he manipulates her into telling James the truth: she was born a boy, but was forced to accept sex reassignment surgery or be executed for homosexuality.

For someone who was forced into sex reassignment, Samantha seems to enjoy her femininity an awful lot. She is simply too comfortable in her skin for someone who has not always felt female. James is a little too perfect and Cas is a little too villainous. But the play works very well as a searing indictment of Iran’s attitudes towards LGBT persons.

- Jean Tait -