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This first-rate production of Tom Stoppard’s palimpsestic masterpiece is simply a must-see. When the English poet Flora Crewe travels to India, she sits for a portrait by the Indian painter Nirad Das. Both that portrait and this play reflect the complex melding of cultures that emerged from the British presence in India. Exploring different approaches to art and the presentation of the artist, the drama also exposes the intricate and often fraught political relationship between the two countries whose histories became so deeply intertwined. Flora’s meeting with the Indian painter hints at the complicated dynamic between a dying imperial vision and its colonial subject, while also questioning the epistemological frameworks through which we seek to understand the past. Many years later, Crewe's American biographer meets with her sister Mrs Swan as he attempts to reconstruct that Indian encounter. Both that actual experience and the artistic impression of Crewe created by Das stand in sharp contrast to the academic reconstruction of her likeness by the scholar researching her life. These representations also differ from the person known by her sister. This opposition between various ways of knowing and creating meaning from experience emerges as the central theme of the play and is extended by Stoppard into the artistic, political, and erotic tensions that inform the work. As Flora Crewe, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis brings a vivacity and challenging charm to the role, making her character's intelligence and emotional depth entirely convincing. She is finely matched by Gavi Singh Chera as the painter, whose performance is sensitive, whimsical, and quietly intense. Having played Crewe in the original production, Felicity Kendal now returns as the elderly Mrs Swan, the poet’s sister. She is wonderfully tart, perceptive, and shrewd, embodying a woman who married an Englishman and returned to Britain yet still regards India as her true home. The rest of the cast offers assured and polished support, delivering consistently accomplished performances. Director Jonathan Kent adroitly sustains momentum in what is a dialogue-heavy play, while Leslie Travers’s set is inventive and visually compelling. This production succeeds not only as a thoughtful exploration of art, history, and colonial legacy. It is also a richly acted and emotionally engaging piece that captures the intellectual complexity and human warmth of Stoppard’s play, leaving a lasting impression long after the final scene.
Rated: ★★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Johan Persson
When, Where, Getting there:
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