Darja, the central character in Ironbound, never leaves a barren bus stop on an ugly stretch of post-industrial New Jersey, but Martyna Majok’s rich play about a poor immigrant feels always on the move, determined to take us on a sad and funny adventure that shifts back and forth over 22 years.
What gives Ironbound much of its vigor is the mesmerizing way that it unfolds, revealing bit by bit a picture of this complicated woman — her men, her mistakes, her contradictions, her strengths…her story.
The play also touches on such current hot issues as immigration, income inequality, domestic violence, drug addiction, intolerance – all presented obliquely, the opposite of “movie of the week” style. But the contemporary issue that looms largest over Ironbound is one that the Sunday talking heads do not discuss – the search for love.
Full review at DC Theatre Scene
Click on any photograph by Sandra Coudert to see it enlarged.
