An astrologer named Vincent is a central character in this play, and though he never appears, his influence is all over it. He has persuaded a ten-years-together married couple — Samira and Jason — that they are the “astrological doubles” of Diana Spencer and Dodi Fayed and that they should hole up for three days in a posh hotel in Paris on the 25th anniversary of Diana and Dodi’s horrific death. The point, according to Vincent, is to experience a “convergence,” as of celestial bodies.
This peremptory astrologer, not unlike a mischievous dramatist, has prescribed all the parameters: no phones, no one else in the room, curtains drawn, just the two of them, plus room service. Jason and Samira, being very into each other, waste no time converging their corporeal bodies such that over the course of this very straight play by Kareem Fahmy, they enact some of the most extensive and artfully hot intimacy coordination likely to be seen on a DC stage (shoutout to intimacy director Sierra Young). Thus in the following tumult of intimate scenes from three days of Jason and Samira’s marriage, we witness a beguiling amalgam of astrology and erotica verité.
Who are these people who have cast their lot with a stargazing life coach? The woman, Samira (played with steely-eyed coquetry by Dina Soltan), is Middle Eastern, daughter of Egyptian immigrants, and an actress on the brink of major stardom. Against Vincent’s dicta, she keeps surreptitiously checking her phone for a call from her agent about a megawatt part she is up for. The man, Jason (played with libidinous charm by impressively fit Jake Loewenthal), is white, Canadian, and a wealthy banker whose worth has increased substantially upon following Vincent’s advice. They live in a $5-million townhouse in Greenwich Village. They can afford to indulge whatever fantasies they please.
There isn’t much standing in their privileged way except for incipient marital tensions, having somewhat, but not everything, to do with the difference in their cultural backgrounds. The sticking-point conflict between them is whether to procreate. Jason wants babies, lots of them; Samira has prioritized her acting career and future fame.
We are privy to every passionate and dispassionate communication between them. Reginald L. Douglas, whose direction is both sublimely sensitive and spectacularly theatrical, has Soltan and Loewenthal interact up close and personal as though they really are alone, often in such private quietude that we voyeurs must lean in to hear. In between the dozen scenes — in which we learn how they met, courted, and wed then watch their marriage nearly become undone — their lavish hotel room (magnificently designed by Shartoya R. Jn. Baptiste) becomes a stunning sound and light show (designed, respectively, by navi and Sage Green), including effects that surreally summon a sense of the fateful night Dodi and Diana crashed in a tunnel pursued by paparazzi.
The veracity and chemistry between Soltan and Loewenthal are off the charts, not only in their amorous romps but in serious scenes that explore how Jason’s and Samira’s psychological backstories affect the sex and affection they want and don’t. Her parents “fought every single day of their marriage.” He was hazed, humiliated, and feminized by three older brothers (“I wasn’t a boy to them”) and given solace only by his mother. It now matters to him a lot that he be seen as a man. But at one point during foreplay, Samira communicates explicitly to Jason that she wants to be choked, and Jason recoils. (“I think you want me to be mean. Rough,” he says. “And that’s not who I am. I am not a bully.”) In such moments, it is as if we witness a dimension of trust and honesty between two human beings that transcends the stage.
Jeannette Christensen’s costumes range from Jason’s casual dressing down (and undressing) to the sort of spiffy duds and Dior that befit the rich. The world of extreme wealth that is the world of the play is what it is. The authenticity and vivacity in the performances of Soltan and Loewenthal go a long way to keeping Samira and Jason relatable. They really do enoble the play.
Near the end, there is a marriage-meltdown scene between Samira and Jason that is so raw and unnerving that one dares not breathe. It’s like watching a verbal brawl that seems certain to end badly. I won’t say more. But Samira and Jason’s ostensible astrological analogy to tragic lovers Dodi and Diana — which up till then, if I’m being honest, has seemed kind of an incidental and corny conceit — suddenly earns its dramaturgical keep.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Dodi & Diana plays through October 5, 2025, presented by Mosaic Theater Company performing in the Sprenger Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC. Tickets are $50.50$–83.50 and available by contacting the box office at (202) 399-7993 or boxoffice@atlasarts.org from 12 pm–6 pm Tuesday through Sunday, or one hour prior to a performance. Tickets may also be purchased online or through TodayTix.
The digital program is downloadable here.
Performances
Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. (except September 6); Sundays at 3 p.m.; and Thursdays, September 18 and 25, at 11 a.m.
Discounts
Rush Tickets: A limited number of $20 rush tickets are available via walk-up cash purchase at the box office beginning one hour before the start of each performance. Cash preferred.
Senior Rate (65+): Save 10% with code: SENIOR
Student Rate: $20 tickets with code: STUDENT
Educator Rate: $20 tickets with code: EDUCATOR
Military and First Responder Rate: Save 10% with code: HERO
Furloughed and Laid Off Federal Workers: Get $20 tickets with code: SOLIDARITY
Under 30: Patrons 30 and younger can access $25 tickets to Mosaic mainstage performances. Use code UNDER30. Restrictions: One ticket per order. Discount is not available on weekend matinees.
Dodi & Diana
By Kareem Fahmy
Directed by Reginald L. Douglas
CREATIVE TEAM
Scenic Designer: Shartoya R. Jn. Baptiste
Lighting Designer: Sage Green
Costume Designer: Jeannette Christensen
Sound Designer: navi
Properties Designer: Luke Hartwood
Production Stage Manager: Jenna Keefer
Intimacy and Violence Director: Sierra Young
Casting Director: Chelsea Radigan
CAST
Jason: Jake Loewenthal
Samira: Dina Soltan
COVID Safety: Mosaic Theater aligns its safety protocols with those of the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Masking is recommended, however it is no longer mandatory — masks in theaters and public spaces at the Atlas Performing Arts Center are now optional. For the latest information, visit mosaictheater.org/health-and-safety.
SEE ALSO:
Mosaic Theater Company to present DC premiere of ‘Dodi & Diana’ (news story, August 4, 2025)