There’s still time to catch Felicity Kendal at Hampstead Theatre
Two Tom Stoppard shows plus an Israeli actor in London
Theatre lovers mourning the passing of renowned playwright Tom Stoppard can enjoy two of his works thanks to performances at the Hampstead and Old Vic theatres.
Indian Ink, in its first major revival since 1995, is at Hampstead Theatre. Receiving four and five star reviews, Felicity Kendal returns to star in the play which is set in two time frames, 1930s Indian and 1980s England.
Flora Crewe, a noted Bloomsbury Group poet, undertakes a journey through India for her health. Free-spirited and without social inhibitions she unsettles most people she meets, but secretly captivates Nirad Das, a handsome Indian painter.
Fast forward to 1980s England and Flora’s sister, Mrs Swan, is visited by an American biographer trying to uncover exactly what took place on the trip – and then Das’ son appears in her garden with a painting of Flora by his father.
The play satirises the self-importance of both academia and the ruling class and explores how creativity can bridge even the most profound cultural barriers.
For star Felicity Kendal, Stoppard’s former partner, it is a welcome return to a play in which she originally starred, creating the role of the young Flora. In this latest production Felicity Kendall plays the role of Mrs Swan.
And over at the Old Vic is Arcadia, a witty, moving and flirtatious play that many regard as Stoppard’s greatest masterpiece.
Set in a country house, two centuries apart, it is a story of genius unfolding. In 1809 Thomasina Coverley, a teenage prodigy, while being tutored by Septimus Hodge, discovers the mathematics of the universe. Many decades later their descendants try to discover what took place between pupil and tutor all those years ago.
Israeli-born actor Yiftach ‘Iffy’ Mizrahi is starring in a show at the King’s Head Theatre. A brutally honest and defiantly hopeful musical, Already Perfect asks what it truly takes to make peace with your own story. With humour, music, and unflinching truth, it lands on a radical simplicity, there is nothing to prove: you are already perfect.
Billed as a searing and uplifting new musical, and winning 4 and 5 star reviews, it tells the story of Levi who finds himself alone in his dressing room, unravelling, and on the brink of ending it all.
When an unexpected encounter occurs, a bit of theatrical magic happens. The walls of the room begin to shift, and what follows is a deeply personal journey through memory, identity, and self-reckoning. Joined by Ben, played by Yiftach ‘Iffy’ Mizrahi, Levi is propelled into an emotional collision of past and present, where long-buried moments resurface and the stories we tell ourselves are put to the test.
The play’s three actors play numerous characters, and the show’s score includes many musical genres including gospel tambourine to tender ballad.
Indian Ink is at Hampstead Theatre until 7 February. hampsteadtheatre.com
Arcadia is at the Old Vic until 21 March. oldvictheatre.com
Already Perfect is at The Kings Head Theatre until 15 February. kingsheadtheatre.com
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