Theatre Review - The Buddha of Suburbia

Bromley in the 70s ­– The Buddha of Suburbia [Steve Tanner]

HANIF Kureishi’s seminal 1990 novel, adapted for the stage by director Emma Rice and the author, follows the anarchic rites of passage of Karim (Dee Ahluwalia) as he navigates family, sex and identity in 1970s Bromley.

Karim, the son of an Indian father Haroon (Ankur Bahl) and white, working-class mother, Margaret (Katy Owen), is desperate to leave the confines of his suburban home. He watches in dismay as Haroon becomes a yoga guru to his middle-class neighbours and falls for one of his bohemian fans.

After Haroon moves in with Eva (Lucy Thackeray), Karim experiments with his own sexuality. Sharing a love of music, he is attracted to Eva’s son Charlie (Tommy Belshaw).  At the same time, he enjoys casual sex with staunch feminist Jamila (Natasha Jayetileke), daughter of his father’s best friend. When Karim decides to pursue a career as an actor, he is initially offered the role of Mowgli from The Jungle Book, complete with loincloth and stereotypical Indian accent.

Encouraged by Eva, theatre director Matthew Pyke (Ewan Wardrop) takes an interest in Karim and invites him to join his troupe with often hilarious results. Fellow actor Eleanor (Owen) becomes Karim’s regular girlfriend while Jamila, married off to Changez (Simon Rivers), living in a commune and pregnant, happily continues her studies.

The Buddha of Suburbia is full of messy, flawed characters. Despite the shadow cast by racism, its irrepressibly upbeat and imaginatively staged by Rice. Music adds to the theatricality, while fruit and party poppers memorably enhance the sex scenes.

Vicki Mortimer has fun with the retro costumes and Rachana Jadhav’s inventive set incorporates bedrooms, a telephone box and shopfront.

A tad overlong, but there is much to celebrate in this joyous production.

Until November 16
www.barbican.org.uk/

Originally published by Camden New Journal