The Father and the Assassin is a play written by Anupama Chandrasekhar. It tells the story of Nathuram Godse, a follower of Gandhi who would go on to shoot him. The play premiered on 12 May 2022 at the National Theatre in London, directed by Indhu Rubasingham.
| The Father and the Assassin | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Anupama Chandrasekhar |
| Directed by | Indhu Rubasingham |
| Music by | Siddhartha Khosla |
| Date premiered | 12 May 2022 |
| Place premiered | National Theatre, London |
Production history
editAnupama Chandrasekhar began writing The Father and the Assassin in 2016. She developed the first and second drafts as a writer-in-residence National Theatre in London.[1] In November 2021, the National Theatre announced its schedule through summer 2022, including The Father and the Assassin in May on the Olivier stage, starring Shubham Saraf alongside Sagar Arya, Ayesha Dharker, and Peter Singh.[2] Further cast members were announced in February 2022.[3]
In an interview with The Guardian, Chandrasekhar stated "My job is to chronicle the changes that are happening in society", and that as a result of the rise of Hindu nationalism, Godse had "entered political conversations in India". She wanted to stage this play in Britain, as "I didn't realise there was a gap in the British education system about the empire until I came here". Told from Godse's perspective,[4] Chandresekhar felt it was important to "sift through the mythology surrounding these figures... I didn't want any of the characters to be idols", but admitted she had to take creative liberties with parts of Godse's story due to a lack of information. This marked the fourth time Chandrasekhar worked with director Indhu Rubasingham.[5] Rajha Shakiry did the costume and set design, which included a rotating stage, while Oliver Fenwick did the lighting.[6]
In July 2023, it was announced The Father and the Assassin would return to the National Theatre from 8 September to 14 October 2023, with Hiran Abeysekera replacing Shubham Saraf as Godse. Tony Jayawardena, who had played Baba in the original production, would take over the role of Savarkar from Sagar Arya. Other new cast members included Aysha Kala, while the likes of Paul Bazely, Ayesha Dharker, Marc Elliott, and Ravin J Ganatra would reprise their roles.[7]
Cast and characters
edit| Character | National Theatre | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2023 | |
| Nathuram Godse | Shubham Saraf | Hiran Abeysekera |
| Mohandas Gandhi | Paul Bazely | |
| Vinayak Savarkar | Sagar Arya | Tony Jayawardena |
| Aai | Ayesha Dharker | |
| Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru | Marc Elliott | |
| Saradar Vallabhai Patel | Ravin J Ganatra | |
| Vimala | Dinita Gohil | Aysha Kala |
| Mohammad Ali Jinnah | Irvine Iqbal | Nicholas Khan |
| Narayan Apte | Sid Sagar | |
| Baba | Tony Jayawardena | Ravi Aujla |
| Madhav Kishore | Ankur Bahl | |
| Mithun | Nadeem Islam | |
| Daulat | Peter Singh | Azan Ahmed |
| Kishen | Maanuv Thiara | Akshay Shah |
Reception
editCritical response
editAndrzej Lukowski of Time Out London, who gave the play five stars, compared The Father and the Assassin to Peter Shaffer's Amadeus.[8]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Evening Standard Theatre Awards | Best Play | The Father and the Assassin | Nominated | [9] |
| Best Actor | Shubham Saraf | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Direction | Indhu Rubasingham | Nominated | [10] |
References
edit- ^ Pearmain, Natallia (18 August 2023). "The Father and the Assassin: Anupama Chandrasekhar, Indhu Rubasingham, Hiran Abeysekara and Paul Bazely ahead of opening night at the National Theatre". The Upcoming. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Wood, Alex (11 November 2021). "National Theatre announces season plans through to summer 2022". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Wood, Alex (22 February 2022). "Further cast for The Father and the Assassin at the National announced". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Sierz, Aleks (19 September 2023). "Anupama Chandrasekhar's "The Father and the Assassin" at the National Theatre: Vastly compelling and darkly comic history play about Indian independence". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Kalia, Ammar (16 May 2022). "The celebrated assassin: the play about Gandhi's killer, still dividing India". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Benedict, David (23 May 2022). "'The Father and the Assassin' Review: A Star-Making Performance in a Dynamic Play About the Murder of Gandhi". Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Al-Hassan, Aliyah (19 July 2023). "Full Cast Announced for the Return of THE FATHER AND THE ASSASSIN at the National Theatre". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (20 April 2023). "The Father and the Assassin". Time Out London. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Wood, Alex (17 October 2022). "Nominees for Evening Standard Theatre Awards announced". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ Wood, Alex; Millward, Tom (8 December 2022). "Nominations in full: the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". WhatsOnStage.