Wise Children and RSC’s critically acclaimed production of Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia is transferring to the Barbican Centre
Wise Children today announces the London transfer of their co-production with the RSC, the critically acclaimed production The Buddha of Suburbia. Based on the novel by Hanif Kureishi, and adapted for the stage by Emma Rice, with Hanif Kureishi, the show opens at the Barbican on 29 October, running until 16 November 2024.
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Artistic Director of Wise Children Emma Rice said today, “I have truly loved making this show, and spending time immersed in Hanif’s laugh-out-loud funny, rude and anarchic world. His razor sharp wit is The Buddha of Suburbia‘s secret weapon, but beneath the jokes lies deep, profound and pure love. In the rehearsal room, I was moved to tears daily by this powerful and political piece, and I am absolutely thrilled that it is transferring to the Barbican. I want as many people as possible to experience this joyful production – especially this iconic London novel’s home crowd. I cannot wait!”
Hanif Kureishi added, “I worked on this idea with Emma for a while, without much of a notion of what it would actually look or sound like. Emma is a wonderfully visual director; her shows are great to look at. But I believe that if you are lucky enough to work with an artist like her, you must let them be as creative and as original as they want to be. And so, when I finally got to see the show, live streamed to my computer at home, I fell in love with it straight away: the colour, costumes, music, and of course her brilliant casting. I was delighted by the response to the show, both from the critics and from the audience, who always had a good time. Now I am very excited to see the show in another iteration at the Barbican, in front I hope, of a young and diverse London crowd. We want to give them as good a time as the patrons in Stratford had; and I’m sure Emma’s work, and that of the brilliant actors she has cast, will resonate with a new audience.
Set Designer: Rachana Jadhav; Costume Designer: Vicki Mortimer; Sound and Video Designer: Simon Baker; Lighting Designer: Jai Morjaria; Composer: Niraj Chag; Choreographer: Etta Murfitt; Fight Director: Kev McCurdy; Casting Director: Matthew Dewsbury CDG
The Buddha of Suburbia plays at Barbican Centre from 22 October – 16 November 2024.
