TEHRAN-The play “The Star-Spangled Girl” written by Neil Simon and jointly directed by Alireza Tajik and Mehdi Hashemabadi is on stage at Arghavan Theater Hall in Tehran.

Directors Tajik and Hashemabadi also perform in the 70-minute play along with Farideh Dadashi, Honaronline reported on Saturday.

The fast-moving, hilarious comedy concerns two earnest young men struggling to put out a "protest" magazine – and the all-American girl who moves in next door, sending both of them into a romantic tailspin.

Set in San Francisco in the 1960s, the play is a story of a love triangle mixed with politics. Andy and Norman are radical liberals struggling to make a living working on their magazine, Fallout, which is dedicated to fighting "the system" in America. 

Sophie, a former Olympic swimmer, is an all-American, Southern girl who moves into the apartment next door. Norman immediately falls in love with Sohpie but his feelings are not reciprocated. Norman's obsession with Sophie makes Andy hire her just to keep the magazine going. When Sophie falls in love with Andy, the magazine and the men’s friendship are threatened.

The situation is eventually resolved through a series of hilarious happenings set forth with the masterly skill and inventiveness that are the hallmarks of Neil Simon.

Neil Simon (1927–2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received three Tony Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He was awarded a Special Tony Award in 1975, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1995 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2006.

“The Star-Spangled Girl” will remain on stage until November 15 in the Arghavan Theater Hall located at Ziba Dead-end, Neauphle-le-Château St., Hafez Ave.

SS/SAB