Josiah Bania (Maks) and Alexandra Henrikson (Darja). Photo: Cheyenne Michaels

By DCist Contributor Missy Frederick

Darja is a woman just trying to get by in Ironbound, Round House Theatre’s contribution to the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, which is bringing more than 50 plays written by women to Washington over the next two months. This particular work is penned by Martyna Majok, who has contributed a sad, funny, and poignant look into the life of a Polish immigrant treading water in New Jersey as she struggles to make ends meet, support her mercurial son, and find, well, maybe not love, but at least a kind of companionship she can live with.

Darja (Alexandra Henrikson) hasn’t been particularly lucky with men, and Ironbound gives the audience a glimpse into several of her relationships over a 20-year period (it spares the viewers from directly encountering her second, abusive husband). There was Maks (Josiah Bania), her first husband — Maks is generally kind to her, but his dreams of music and Chicago don’t mesh with Darja’s more tangible, practical life goals and her stubborn desire to stay rooted in New Jersey. And there’s Tommy (Jefferson A. Russell), her unfaithful, present-day boyfriend — it’s easy to see their relationship in cynical, even clinical terms at first; they each need something from each other, and it isn’t just love). But things prove more complex as the play proceeds.

The story’s New Jersey setting is almost a character itself in Ironbound — the bleak stereotypes surrounding blue-collar New Jersey come to life as the factory Darja works for struggles to remain open. The state’s contradictions, its contrast between rich and poor, and even its beloved diner culture are embodied by Vic (William Vaughan, with great comic timing here), a complicated Good Samaritan high school student wrestling with his identity and sexuality. His scenes with Darja are the funniest in a play that doesn’t lack in witty moments. The action in Ironbound all takes place at a lonely bus stop, accented with imposing iron beams. Daniella Topol’s direction is brisk and spare — the smoothest of costume changes note the passage of time during quick scene changes.

Majok’s perspective on Darja and Maks’ immigration to America is a nuanced one — Darja doesn’t waste time with romantic notions of the American dream, even if she does have tangible material goals like owning a car. Maks sees things through a more wistful lens, but he still has a certain cynicism to him (“You can never be ugly, or we will starve” he says to his wife, acknowledging his better chances for employment due to his attractive looks).

Though much of our sense of Darja is shown through her interactions with men, she still emerges as a fully-realized character — she may be matter-of-fact, imperfect, and a little unstable, but Henrikson brings to life her strength, wit, and allure. Life is rarely kind to Darja, but Henrikson assures she will not be pitied, and never be a cliché.

Ironbound runs through Oct. 4 at Round House Theatre. Tickets ($41-$61) are available online.