‘Duke & Roya’ was a poignant, powerful, stark look at the war in Afghanistan

Charles Randolph-Wright is a playwright whose work we should treasure. His latest work, “Duke & Roya,” which just finished playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre at 121 Christopher Street, is a testament to that. This play had a strong message about the war in Afghanistan and how the people there are living — or just merely existing. Duke, a famous Black hip-hop artist, comes to Kabul to entertain the troops at a military base. Upon his arrival he meets Roya, an interpreter, and her father Sayeed, who is also an interpreter. When Duke first meets Roya, he is attracted to her. While she is a fan, she is also not your average Afghan young woman. This is a country where women are not allowed to attend school, must remain fully covered, and are largely confined to their homes. They are not allo