Muslim family faces conflicts in Marin’s ‘The Who & the What’

They are the adult daughters of Afzal (Alfredo Huereca), a widowed Palestinian immigrant and devout Muslim who owns a successful cab company.

He, too, wants Zarina to get married after putting the kibosh on the Catholic man she had loved. He even pretends he’s her on Muslim dating sites to find suitable suitors.

When Eli (Patrick Alparone), a convert who has become imam of a small congregation, meets with Afzal’s approval, Zarina reluctantly agrees to meet him in a local café.

She tells Eli that she’s writing a book about gender politics but is suffering from writer’s block.

However, her book is not so much about gender politics as it is an examination of the prophet Muhammad. It focuses on his seventh and favorite wife, who’s his former daughter-in-law.

The tradition of Muslim women wearing a veil stems from this erotic relationship, Zarina contends.

In subsequent scenes, Zarina and Eli have married, she has completed her book, and Mahwish is married but not happily.

Still later, Mahwish is divorced and seeing a man she loves.

The climactic scene occurs after Afzal reads Zarina’s book and is enraged by what he regards as blasphemy, leading to a heated confrontation.

Akhtar’s script is meaty, yet nuanced, especially in its portrayal of Afzal, who’s torn between deep love for both daughters and devotion to his religious beliefs, including women’s subservience to men.

Director Hana S. Sharif manages these emotional ups and downs with skill and perception, aided by four fine actors.

For people who might not be familiar with the play’s Muslim references, the program includes helpful definitions. Displays in the lobby add more background.

Running about an hour and 40 minutes without intermission, “The Who & the What” will continue through March 24 at Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley.

For tickets and information call (415) 388-5208, or visit marintheatre.org.