CLEVELAND — The city of Elyria has made it to the bright lights of the Big Apple.
A playwright from the Lorain County city is using her hometown to show the world how special Elyria truly is.
"Elyria" is the new play from Deepa Purohit that's now in production in New York City. Born in the UK, her father moved their family to Ohio for his medical job. They eventually settled in Elyria.
During a conversation with 3News' Laura Caso, Purohit looked back at what things stood out to her growing up in Northeast Ohio.
"So much," Purohit said. "Farmland, farmland, farmland everywhere. Our cul de sac on Devonshire Court, going to school."
She added that her go-to places were Midway Mall and Great Northern Mall.
Purohit went off to college, traveled, and eventually settled in New York City, where she's been busy writing about her hometown of Elyria.
"I wrote Elyria, actually, to think about a story where I could not only incorporate my hometown of Elyria, but actually the migration of my family over generations through these continents," she explained. "What 'Elyria' means in this play is really about it being a landing place, a place of finding home."
The play takes place in Elyria in 1982.
"It follows two women who actually met in college back in India and have their origins in East Africa, then find themselves bumping into each other 20 years later in Elyria. And it's funny because a lot of people think, 'oh, it's coincidence,' but the immigrant experience really is that. It's an American experience to settle in new town and bump into someone from old country," Purohit adds.
She lives in New York City now, but Elyria will always be home for Deepa Purohit.
"Elyria" is receiving rave reviews from the critics, with New York Theatre Guide giving it four stars -- writing that "it's a production not to be missed." The play is being performed off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company through March 19.
Purohit says she has met people who have traveled from Ohio, including Elyria, to see the production.