ONE FOR THE HEART

A tender romance outshines
a less engaging character study

Kayla McConnell and Brady Morales-Woolery (Kayleigh McCollum)

Word for Word is known for staging fiction by renowned authors, literally ‘word for word.’ This time, the company pairs works by E. L. Doctorow and Tatyana Tolstaya, both of Russian descent. Their separate stories are each about Russians who have immigrated to the United States and are trying to adjust and assimilate to life in their new home. An ensemble cast plays roles in both stories.

William Rogue, Søren Oliver, Stacy Ross, and Brady Morales-Woolery (Keyleigh McCollum)

The first story by Doctorow is called “Assimilation.” Ramon (Brady Morales-Woolery), an American, is working as a dishwasher in a restaurant run by his Russian boss Borislav (Søren Oliver) and his wife, the stone-cold Anya (Stacy Ross). He’s offered a promotion and some money by Boris if he agrees to travel to Russia and marry Boris’s niece Jelena (Kayla McConnell) so she can get her green card and emigrate to the United States. Jelena is beautiful and self-absorbed. In addition, she already has a boyfriend. Upon returning to the United States, Ramon feels protective of Jelena, who feels alone in her new country, and falls in love with her.

William Rogue, Stacy Ross, Rudy Guerrero, and Søren Oliver (Rebecca Pierce)

The second piece, “Smoke and Shadows,” follows a Russian professor (Ross) living in the United States who is trying to navigate the complex social and cultural customs of her new country. While working at a college, she spends a lot of time observing the behaviors of the students and her colleagues. She wants to hang on to the autonomy of her former life in Russia. Her struggle is figuring out how to assimilate into her new home.

William Rogue, Stacy Ross, and Søren Oliver (Rebecca Pierce)

Both stories present existential questions facing many immigrants: How much of one’s life does one change to fit in? How much of the former life must one maintain to stay true to oneself?

Stacy Ross and Brady Morales-Woolery (Rebecca Pierce)

Bay Area-based director Rotimi Agbabiaka guides all the actors in creating believable three-dimensional characters. Morales-Woolery’s Ramon gives a heartfelt and sympathetic performance as the young man striving for a better life while worshipping the distant Jelena. Ross, though, as Boris’s wife, the angry and aloof Anya, and the lonely college professor in “Smoke and Shadows,” does the heavy lifting as far as creating two very different and emotionally conflicted characters.

Brady Morales-Woolery, Kayla McConnell, and William Rogue (Kayleigh McCollum)

Of the two pieces, Doctorow’s “Assimilation” is the more enjoyable. Its complex characters make the slow-burning romance between Ramon and Jelena especially affecting. Tolstaya’s “Smoke and Shadows” plays out more like a character study, with the college professor trying to make sense of the world around her. The premise starts out somewhat interesting, but neither the narrative nor its characters earn our emotional investment.

Brady Morales-Woolery and Rudy Guerrero (Kayleigh McCollum)

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Assimilation: Stories by E. L. Doctorow & Tatyana Tolstaya
Word for Word / Z Space
Z Below, 470 Florida St. in San Francisco
2 hours, including intermission
Wed. & Thu. at 7; Fri. & Sat. at 8; Sun. at 2
ends on November 8, 2026
for tickets ($35–$75), visit Z Space

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