AN EXCEPTIONAL ENSEMBLE
IN A CROWDED PLAY

Immigrant stories echo through a
Queens basement — and across decades

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Queens is a New York borough unlike any other, celebrated as the most linguistically diverse place on Earth. Between 160 and 500 languages are spoken across its 178 square miles, a vivid tapestry woven from immigrant stories, flavors, and rhythms — proof that humanity thrives when differences are embraced. Martyna Majok’s Queens, first staged in 2018 and now refitted for Manhattan Theatre Club, attempts to capture this richness, using an illegally operated basement apartment as a microcosm for the immigrant experience, and mostly succeeds. The challenge of telling this story anew is immense — so much has already been written — and while Majok’s talent is undeniable (she won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cost of Living), the number of significant characters crowding the stage makes it difficult to invest fully in any one of them, despite the excellence of the performances.

Nicole Villamil, Marin IrelandAnna Chlumsky

Queens opens with a volatile scene: Polish Renia (Marin Ireland) is punched in the face by the Ukrainian Inna (Julia Lester), a teenager who ends up in the basement while searching for her mother. It’s 2017, and Inna’s entrance unlocks the history of our main character, who arrived sixteen years earlier with absolutely nothing. It also unlocks the stories of the other women who share the cramped space, sending us back to 2001, just three months after September 11. Renia has just left her young daughter in Poland to build a “big” life in New York, and she arrives in the basement desperate for even the tiniest corner to sleep in.

Nadine Malouf, Nicole Villamil, Marin Ireland, Brooke Bloom

The residents she meets form a noticeably mismatched trio: Pelagiya (Brooke Bloom) from Belarus, Aamani (Nadine Malouf) from Afghanistan, and Isabela (Nicole Villamil) from Honduras. They are different in every possible way yet bound by two things: being poor and having generous hearts. Villamil delivers a compelling portrait of Isabela, a hardworking, fraught soul who comes to realize that piecework will never take her far. Bloom plays Pelagiya, the stern yet slyly humorous matriarch, with a blend of dry wit and emotional depth that makes her portrayal memorable. And Malouf brings Aamani to life with remarkable subtlety, capturing her inner strength and wisdom while revealing the pain she rarely expresses. As a gay woman, Aamani keeps her identity private, navigating her community with the fear of potential persecution.

Marin Ireland, Nicole Villamil, Brooke Bloom, Nadine MaloufMarin Ireland and Sharlene Cruz

Each immigrant carries both pain and hope, laboring to survive, to belong, to rebuild a life — whether by keeping a thread tied to the past or cutting it clean. Motherhood emerges as a central theme. Leaving a child to work abroad is a sacrifice made out of love but felt as a constant wound. Isabela is one of these mothers: ready to return to Honduras, she invades the basement with her opened suitcase and a mountain of clothes — some to be packed, others to be left behind. Since it is Isabela’s last night, the three women gather to toast her, but at the end of the party Agata, played with delicious irritation by Anna Chlumsky, bursts in to confront Renia in Polish. Before leaving, she throws a “Watch her!” warning over her shoulder — a great cameo.

Marin Ireland and Anna Chlumsky

By 2011, Renia — who once trembled at every knock — rules the basement like an overlord, fulfilling Agata’s prophecy. Her ruthless drive for material gain is framed as a desire for something to call “her own,” yet Ireland infuses the character with so much passion that one wishes the play gave us more. In both 2011 and 2017, we also meet Glenys (Sharlene Cruz), Isabela’s now-grown daughter, and Lera (Andrea Syglowski), Inna’s friend from Ukraine who wants to become a mail-order bride, but their stories remain sketched rather than fully developed.

Julia LesterAndrea Syglowski

On the technical side, Marsha Ginsberg’s set makes the basement feel convincingly lived-in while easing transitions across time; Sarah Laux’s costumes, Ben Stanton’s lighting, and Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound design elegantly complete the production. Queens could use fewer characters, but it remains a very well-acted portrayal of immigrant women navigating hardship — especially as mothers. The most striking moments occur when they collectively reach out to their children, asking tender questions about life, school, longing — moments that hit deep. The ensemble’s commitment alone brings authenticity and depth, making the play a worthwhile experience.

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photos by Valerie Terranova

Queens
Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center Stage I
ends on December 7, 2025
for tickets, visit MTC

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