NEW YORK — The highly praised Armenian comedy, “Where Is Your Groom? (Pesad Oor Eh),” a play by writer/director Taleen Babayan, will mark its New York City final performance on Saturday, June 20, at the SVA Theatre.
Since its debut at Greenwich Village’s The Players Theatre almost two years ago, the group has performed to Armenian communities across the country, including in New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This performance will be the group’s third in New York City.
The play and its cultural message, veiled in humor, has struck a chord with Armenians in the Diaspora of all generations. The story follows the life of an Armenian family living in the United States, whose older generation is preoccupied with finding suitable Armenian partners for their children. From the choreg baking mother, Siroun, who creates a “hars” list for her son — even attempting to fly someone in from overseas — to a funny opening scene of an “odar” who wants to take the daughter of the family out on a date but has to go through her parents’ questioning first, the play delivers many laughs.
The cast and crew have performed to over 2,000 audience members to date, bringing both laughter and a touching story that shows the lengths this tight-knit Armenian family will go to in order to preserve their culture while living in the Diaspora.
“Audience members have had a great positive attitude toward these performances because they are authentic,” said Roy Shant Tuncarslan, a New Jersey native who plays the role of a seminarian who is set up to date the daughter.
Tuncarslan, who is a Senior Associate at Crédit Agricole Bank, adds that, “it feels so good to know that the writer/director has paid close attention to the Armenian trends, both past and present.”
