★★★★

“It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.”

The lights are dim, casting shadows on the revolving doors and liquor bottles, while silhouettes of shady figures move silently in the twilight, fedora’s tilted to shade the eyes. We expect Sam Spade to step out from the smoky, jazz rhythms; dressed in his gabardine long coat and Bogart drawl. Or Cary Grant with his transatlantic blend of cut glass and high class. But instead, Katy Owen, stalwart of Emma Rice’s ‘Wise Children’ company, trashes the fourth wall and greets us like music hall regulars. Lithe and angular, she moves like a panther high on humour and anarchic energy. She is the narrator, the professor, and other spies and deliciously unsavoury characters that fill the world Rice has created. Along with the five other cast members (is that all… there seem to be so many more?) she upturns, subverts and twists Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “North by Northwest”. ‘You’ve got to be on the ball to keep up with this’ she proclaims at the outset. Never mind being on the ball. We are clearly going to have a ball.

Newspaper headlines tell us where we are in time and context and banded suitcases let us know where we are in place, and who we are dealing with. Even so, it’s probably best to brush up on a rough synopsis before entering the auditorium. If only to appreciate the in-jokes and inventive use of props and scenery to depict the scenes. You must go and see for yourself how the iconic bi-plane chase in the cornfield is recreated. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is a spy story, set in the late fifties, that sweeps across North America from New York to Mount Rushmore via Chicago. A tale of mistaken identity. Roger Thornhill (Ewan Wardrop) summons a bell boy in the Plaza hotel, New York, so he can call his mum. Two suspicious looking gangsters are watching him and assume he is George Kaplan – a spy who needs to be kidnapped and taken to their master. The ‘butterfly effect’ sets in motion a chaotic series of events whereby Roger becomes the hunted and the hunter, searching for the non-existent Kaplan (he’s an FBI made-up decoy) while being pursued by both enemies and friends of the state. Oh, and he falls in love on the way with double agent Eve (Patrycja Kujawska). Nobody is who they appear to be. It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.

There is a lot of multi-rolling – and gender blind is an understatement. Karl Queensborough is magnificent as the gangster ringleader Phillip Vandamn, while giving a hilarious turn as other cameos – especially Roger’s mother. Mirabelle Gremaud and Simon Oskarsson get to demonstrate their versatility as the hapless spies Anna and Valerian, among countless others. Kujawska’s Eve is suitably slippery, yet sassily sensual as the love interest we never know whether to trust or not. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Roger never loses faith (well, maybe for a moment or too – but he’s only human). Wardrop pitches the offhand charm and wit to near perfection.

As with all Rice’s shows, music is a key feature. Composer Simon Baker mixes his own sounds with classic tunes from the period. But absent is the actor-muso element. Instead, to fabulous comic effect, the cast lip synch to the musical numbers with faultless precision. Etta Murfitt’s choreography adds surreal touches that, in less able hands, could easily jar but this company are expert at combining physical theatre with drama, with comedy – and with storytelling. Owen’s narration certainly helps. A star performance, and she still has time to slip into other guises.

It is in danger of becoming a little bit muddled towards its final moments, and the same tricks are just on the brink of being overused. But as these zany, talented characters cling to the precipice of Mount Rushmore we are rooting for them, even though the suspense is lacking. We’re not entirely sure what Hitchcock might make of it all. He’d want more danger and darkness perhaps. But Rice is a master of her craft and fans of the film will love this play as much as fans of ‘Wise Children’.

THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA at the Barbican

★★★★

“a high-spirited, multi-coloured and absolutely joyous interpretation”

Written thirty years ago and set half a century ago, Hanif Kureishi’s “The Buddha of Suburbia” still contains a lot that is still true about Britain today. In Emma Rice’s adaptation (co-adapted by Kureishi) the reality is expressed through comedy and, like all the best fables, the seriousness of the message hits hardest when delivered in kid gloves. A ‘rite of passage’ story, it is part fairy tale and part social realism. Directed by Rice, too, it has slightly less of the creative chaos that is usually on offer, resulting in a beautifully slick production; but is still packed with magic, joy and the anarchic fun that has become her trademark.

If there is any doubt about the setting (though Rachana Jadhav’s authentic set design and Vicki Mortimer’s period costume should instantly quell them), the protagonist, anti-hero and narrator – Karim – immediately sets us straight. It is the eve of Thatcher’s rise to power and Karim introduces himself to the audience with an assured swagger that belies someone still trying to find their feet. Dee Ahluwalia, as Karim, mirrors those qualities with an ease and stage presence that belie his experience. A lithe figure, he guides us on his journey with a clarity of storytelling that casts out any need to be familiar with the original novel.

He whisks us back further to 1976 and into the bosom of his extended, mixed-race family. Karim is desperate to escape suburbia, although by the looks of things there is plenty going on in his neck of the woods. Sex is available on tap, it seems, but I guess he’s looking for something deeper. Cue his headlong dive into the world of theatre, for which the words ‘frying pan’ and ‘fire’ come to mind. Beneath the social commentary, it is the characterisation that brings the show to rich, colourful life. With some multi-rolling and swift doubling up, the impressive ensemble cast portray a host of exuberant, eccentric personalities whom we grow to love despite – or because of – their flaws. All of them are caricatures, but all have a striking individuality.

Karim’s father Haroon (the acrobatic Ankur Bahl) is a Muslim from Bombay who has turned to Buddhist teachings as a means to seduce the hippy housewives of Southeast London. Katy Owen plays the hard-done-by wife. Owen reappears as aspiring actress Eleanor, hilariously pretentious, upper-middle class but wanting to ‘get down’ with the common people. We meet Matthew Pyke, the theatre director from Hell. A lot of fun is had during the rehearsal scenes which are a master class in parody. The shagging and the shenanigans, mainly expressed through slap-and-tickle use of bananas and melons, start to get a bit limp through repetition. Thankfully, though, the acute character observations hit home more than the party-popper punchlines. Karim has escaped his roots, but his yearning to retrace his steps brings us full circle. Meanwhile, childhood friend and nymphomaniac, Jamila, has been married off to arranged husband Changez (Simon Rivers in brilliant self-deprecating form); while Karim’s first crush, Charlie (a tongue in cheek Tommy Belshaw), has achieved rock star success and made the move to LA… and tragedy. Uncle Anwar and Aunt Jeeta are still getting by at the grocery stall, until Anwar pops his clogs and Jeeta finds a new lease of life (Rina Fatania gives a star performance in a flourish of irreverent self-parody and comic timing).

It is all pinned together with a pulsing soundtrack that takes in the Bee Gees, T. Rex, The Velvet Underground, Bill Withers and Joni Mitchell – among many others. A perfect mixtape that could have been whisked out of a Ford Capri’s cassette player. But beneath the party atmosphere, the darker undercurrents start to slip through – especially in the second act. Racism and violence crescendo from their background drone to become an explicit comment in the narrative. It is evocatively staged, but somehow the reality of its menace doesn’t quite break out of the party mood. Perhaps because all too quickly the show plunges back into celebratory mode with a hastily assembled, feel-good finale.

“Buddha of Suburbia” is a collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but it seems that Emma Rice has been calling the shots. It is a high-spirited, multi-coloured and absolutely joyous interpretation, that Kureishi is obviously proud of. The Rice magic still sparkles and dazzles, and we leave the theatre with a bounce in our step and a 120bpm inner rhythm coaxing us to raise our arms and punch the air. A terrific night at the theatre.

Tag Archives: Ewan Wardrop

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

★★★★

Alexandra Palace Theatre

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Alexandra Palace Theatre

★★★★

“It is testament to Rice’s stylish and ingenious staging that we never lose the plot.”

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Alexandra Palace Theatre

Reviewed on 12th June 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Steve Tanner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BIRDSONG | ★★★ | February 2025

AN INSPECTOR CALLS | ★★★★ | September 2024

THE GLASS MENAGERIE | ★★★★ | May 2024

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY | ★★★★ | November 2023

TREASON THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | November 2023

BUGSY MALONE | ★★★★★ | December 2022

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA

★★★★

Barbican

THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA at the Barbican

★★★★

“a high-spirited, multi-coloured and absolutely joyous interpretation”