Nathan Mohebbi as Farhad and Alex Mills as Andy Warhol in Mosaic Theater’s production of “Andy Warhol in Iran” by Brent Askari. Photo by Chris Banks.

Capturing the essence of a character like Andy Warhol (who arguably was as much self-conceptualized character as he was actual human being) can go one of two ways: either the portrayal will devolve into caricature to further prove a point, or surprisingly, it will offer up new and even more sophisticated ways for said character to be interpreted. In Brent Askari’s “Andy Warhol in Iran,” presented by Mosaic Theater, the Andy Warhol that we ultimately get languishes somewhere between the two as he rides out a heartfelt story of finding humanity in a hotel room.

…a heartfelt story…Seiden’s direction…deftly highlights the comedic moments without sacrificing the gravitas of the story and its subtext. 

Andy Warhol did indeed travel to Iran in 1976 on an art-based expedition centered around commissioned portraits of the then Shah’s wife. This is a rather turbulent time for Iran as a few short years following there would be a revolution that sees the Shah stripped of power and the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini. Simmering revolutionary sentiment sets the tone for the play’s basic setup. Warhol (Alex Mills), not really feeling the whole trip, confines himself to his hotel room. When room service arrives in the form of a waiter named Farhad (Nathan Mohebbi), Warhol is forced into a corner, quite literally as Farhad has been sent to kidnap the famous American artist, presumably to underscore a political point.

The whole of the play is a sort of negotiation between these two characters locked in that hotel room. One is fighting for freedom—freedom from Western oppression, the impending chaos of capitalism (of which Warhol is the perfect emblem), and the torturous tactics of his government. The other serves more as bystander—the ever-curious artist observing the idiosyncratic moments of life and of a foreign world that otherwise would be nothing but a blip on his pop art, radar screen. They share stories and battle scars. Warhol nearly died after being shot by Valerie Solanas in 1968, while Farhad reveals the horrors of Iran’s brand of torture. They share memories of their youth. We get snippets of Warhol’s blue-collar Pittsburgh upbringing and Farhad’s time in America as an international student studying literature. The “what could have beens” are powerfully nostalgic in this way.

There is an element of predictability in Askari’s imagined tale of Warhol and his would-be kidnapper. To this end, the dialogue can get a bit stagnant at times as a change of pace and/or outcome could have intensified the audience’s fly-on-the-wall perspective. Unlike Katori Hall’s historic-character-in-a-hotel-room moment that we get in “The Mountaintop,” “Andy Warhol in Iran” lacks a bit as far as the discovery factor. Where the surprises lag, however, the actors rise to the challenge. Mills’ Warhol is wisely understated yet with flashes of camp. He plays the iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans artist with an intuitively multi-layered sense of Warhol’s selfhood—as an artist looking to cash in, terrified victim, and working-class kid makes good. As Farhad, Mohebbi must be the defiant crusader for Iranian freedom, waving a gun when he really is just a poetry-inclined lost soul and bearing the burden of a conflicted conscience. He hits every beat and then some.

Serge Seiden’s direction makes tremendous use of the claustrophobic (I assume intentionally so) hotel room space. He deftly highlights the comedic moments without sacrificing the gravitas of the story and its subtext. Scenic designer Andrew Cohen is to be commended for bringing audiences into a realistic yet quasi-Warholian space. Accented by Deb Thomas’s keen-eyed prop design, the set is transportive. Costume designer Jeanette Christensen adds a kitschy 70s flair without being too over-the-top, and Wig and Make-Up Designer Larry Peterson gives us a great iteration of Warhol. While the story may be fictional, the history is fascinating. Mosaic’s production gives us plenty to think about when it comes to what Andy Warhol may have truly been like behind the wigs, the glasses, and all those silkscreens.

Running Time: One hour and 20 minutes with no intermission. 

Advisory: Contains descriptions of torture and bodily harm, gun violence, and addiction. There is use of a prop gun, as well as a sound effect of a simulated gunshot. 

“Andy Warhol in Iran” runs through July 6, 2025 presented by Mosaic Theater at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.