At Gloucester Stage, 'Wish You Were Here' centers female friendship

There’s a revolution happening in Iran. And the noise of war comes through the window of a cozily appointed living room in Sanaz Toossi’s “Wish You Were Here,” presented by Gloucester Stage Company through Aug. 25.

While the ruckus roars outdoors in Karaj, Iran, five friends chat happily. One of the friends, Salme, tenderly rendered by an affecting Josephine Moshiri Elwood, is getting married. The others crowd around to support her on her big day, dancing, primping and talking of the coitus to come.

As they continue to chat — some smoke cigarettes, fix their hair and decide whether or not to have children — the hierarchies of the group emerge. What’s evident, though, is the intimacy and vulnerability of their friendships. Toossi’s writing of these characters, different in personality but saddled with the same societal expectations, is gorgeous.

The play starts in 1978 when protests against the Pahlavi Dynasty broke out, and spans 13 years in the friends’ lives amid the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Over time, they must confront what’s happening and figure out if they’re going to stay in their beautiful homeland, or leave.

Under Melory Mirashrafi’s excellent direction and the ensemble’s superb acting, the war recedes as the inner workings of this tightly-knit group spill out onstage. As the production moves forward, some disappear without a word, while others search for those who have departed; some get married, have kids and wait for the local university to open back up.

Toossi’s work here and in her Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “English” glows. Her skills are best demonstrated in the intricacies of relationships. In SpeakEasy’s 2022 production of “English” (which Mirashrafi also directed and Moshiri Elwood and Khateri starred), the sometimes-prickly teacher and a male student form a unique and memorable bond.

In “Wish You Were Here,” Toossi creates connections that last through time, war and loss. At one point, Nazanin (Deniz Khateri) — one of the more emotionally distant and cold members of the group — shares how much Rana, a hilarious, chain-smoking Aryana Asefirad, means to her and how her presence shaped her. Nazanin tells her, “In the long shadow of your existence, I find a home.” Additionally, Mirashrafi, Khateri and Moshiri Elwood (who also starred in SpeakEasy’s “The Band’s Visit”) help make the world Toossi is sharing in this production feel a little more familiar.

The cast and creative team — from dramaturgy, lighting, music, scenic design, hair and props — create a warm environment for the characters (portrayed by Iranian actors) to thrive. Culturally specific music pumped through the speakers and a timeline in the program listing significant happenings in Iran, from initial protests to Iranian students seizing the American Embassy in Tehran to the end of the war and the installation of Iran’s supreme leader, helped set the scene.

In the play though, the war isn’t the main character. Instead, the women lead their lives while Toossi drops indicators of what’s occurring. The water stops working, and a bucket is needed to flush the toilet; schools close, and some dreams must wait. But they persist with their leg-waxing, sharing secrets and reminiscing about when they were all together.

The play is not packed with blood and gore to pin the story arc on, but rather a sharing of the lives of five women who love each other imperfectly and how doing so shapes who they are and who they are becoming.

“Wish You Were Here” runs through Aug. 25 at Gloucester Stage Company.