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REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Tupperware of Ashes📍 Dorfman Theatre (National Theatre)

Gulati and Syal prove they are titans of the stage in this gripping, thoroughly-researched story exploring the lives of a family who suddenly come to terms with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

From L-R: Marc Elliot (Gopal), Natalie Dew (Kamala), Meera Syal (Queenie), Shobna Gulati (Indrani) Zubin Varla (Ameet) and Raj Bajaj (Raj) in A Tupperware of Ashes (2024).

By Hamza Jahanzeb | 13 October 2024

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

“[I got into the role] by waiting for a part that I can connect on every level. And for me this was such a personal project because I do feel like I am telling our parents’ stories […] With this role, I relive what I felt and saw every night. Whilst it’s painful, it’s also an honour. It’s a conversation we need to have. And for me, that’s what theatre is about.”

– Meera Syal on BBC Woman’s Hour (10 October 2024) with Anita Rani discussing A Tupperware of Ashes.

A diagnosis of Young-onset Dementia can be a debilitating experience for any family, so to centre this is as the focus of Tanika Gupta’s play is a rather bold choice. After having recently had her play The Empress performed at the Lyric Hammersmith and the RSC, A Tupperware of Ashes brings Gupta back to the South Bank and for the second time at the NT (her first outing was with The Waiting Room in 2001).

This play’s modern setting is a far cry from The Empress; instead Gupta focuses on a family’s unravelling as the head matriarch is given her diagnosis. The Creative team – including Meera Syal, Tanika Gupta and Shobna Gulati – have all experienced the disease affect their own loved ones.

A Tupperware of Ashes offers catharsis to families affected by the illness and further, it sheds a light on the often heart-wrenching trajectory. It’s a rallying cry to bring humanity to people whose own lives are left in an uncontrollable state.

Before I get into the show itself, I firstly must tell you all of my experiences in this smaller theatre space which is only a hop, skip and jump from the two main stages – the Olivier and Lyttleton stages – of The Royal National Theatre of Great Britain (more commonly known as the National Theatre, or NT). I’ve seen some brilliant verbatim theatre (Grenfell: In Their Own words) and most recently popped by to see Katori Halls’s The Hot Wing King – which really levelled up the possibilities for me in terms of what can be achieved in the space. In similar fashion to that excellence, Gupta’s A Tupperware of Ashes – directed by Lotus Beauty director Pooja Ghai – is created with Rosa Maggiore on the set design and Matt Haskin’s lighting. This, coupled with Nitin Sawhney’s music really does allow for a well-balanced transitions between scenes. It is a feast for the ears hearing the music that lifts, elevates and transports the audience with it in this piece.

The direction always engages the audience member, as you take a front seat in the lives of the Mukherjees. One moment you may be rooting for gay son Gopal (played brilliantly by Marc Elliott mixing the perfect amount of being non-conforming vs. being the dutiful, doting son); the next, the ever-so-diligent medical school attendee Kamala (Natalie); or even for Raj (Raj Bajaj), whose character arc as the eldest never strays into the stereotyped territory.

“ Is my life worth living? Did I make a difference?”

A Tupperware of Ashes (2024)

As Queenie’s best friend Indrani, Shobna Gulati (dinnerladies, Coronation Street, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) truly brings a marvellous invitation to a character the audience lap up every given moment they’re on stage. On the night I attend, there are belly laughs and a comedic charm that Shobna’s Indrani possesses with ease. From the very moment Gulati graces the NT stage adorned in a gorgeous silk gown and holding a glass of bubbly, it’s hard not to keep your eyes on them. It’s also difficult to believe that this is their debut at the NT, for they oozes warmth and a confidence that only seasoned professionals emulate.

Gulati’s own understanding of the topic – her own mother died after being diagnosed with dementia – means that there’s a thorough authenticity, understanding and nuance from within for many of the Creatives involved with the play. There’s verve, and versatility in the acting – be it the sisterly bond that many from links to the Indian subcontinent will see themselves reflected in- but also the more touching moments towards the end that are universal to the shared human experience.

There were several occasions in this production whereby I too was really impressed with the illusions (designed and directed by John Bulleid, of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fame) which had fellow audience members and I audibly gasping (!) at the magical moments on stage. Rosa Maggiora’s set is similarly profound and sumptuous. The tender unravelling of Queenie’s mind is showcased with threads, possibly showcasing the inside of her brain as jolts of electricity. Either way, the audiences are invited to the zapping away of ordinary function as Queenie deteriorates. Bring your tissues as I’ve never felt so overcome with emotion in a piece that it was comforting to hear the sound of grown men sob in the audience.

I’d also like to highlight the colour-palette for this show, which is steeped in shades of blue, a motif of the ripples that comes with sinking into an illness in an uncontrollable manner; the auditorium is bathed in a haze as you enter, and the engulfing of a illness truly takes the audience members into the piece.

From L-R: Meera Syal (Queenie), Zubin Varla (Ameet) and Shobna Gulati (Indrani) in A Tupperware of Ashes (2024)
From L-R: Meera Syal (Queenie) and Marc Elliot (Gopal) in A Tupperware of Ashes (2024).

As a duo, both Syal and Gulati give honest, believable performances (one a perfect masterclass in comedic timing, the other in how disease takes hold of a strong personality) that draw you leaving you hungry for the next instalment of their friendship (I hope there’s a prequel somewhere in the works!). There’s bags of laughter in Gupta’s script (despite the rather sad topic), and even a cameo of Asma Khan’s (of Darjeeling Express/Netflix Chef’s Table fame) cookery books which again bring the piece up-to-date to the 2020s.

Ameet,  the somewhat omnipresent late husband of Queenie is played with a sense of hamminess by Zubin Varla (Fun Home, A Little Life, Tammy Faye); however, we do get to witness his stunning voice in the second act — “Still the Stars will Shine”, with a backdrop to Nitin Sawhney’s stunning compositions.

From L-R: Raj Bajaj (Raj) and Meera Syal (Queen) in A Tupperware of Ashes (2024).

Now onto Ms. Meera Syal herself, whose BAFTA fellowship  was awarded in 2023. Here, away from her Goodness Gracious Me characters, she plays a more serious role as head matriarch, Queenie. The performance is full-bodied, a very nuanced perspective of a woman whose intergenerational trauma is lived on the stage. There’s care, attention and a visceral depth informed by Syal’s personal experiences of having parents with the illness. The stages of the illness are clearly explored, and the change to the brain are reflected in electric lighting moments. The physicality with which Syal showcases the manifestation of the illness is to be heralded as a success, proving why she’s one of the nation’s strongest actors.

Earlier in the play, Syal’s Queenie is filled with bitterness and disdain for her children; the constant sniping attacks to the partners of her children prove to be too much for the trio birthed by her. Essentially, she comes across as a horrible mother and one whose sympathy is gradually won over by the end. I was a fan of Syal showcasing the loss of muscle strength with the usage of a crab-like hand-pincer movement to depict the final stages of the cruel disease. Her physicality and research into her character is suitably impressive. In one of the most poignant scenes, we watch as a Syal plays Queenie devoid of any human emotion, sat upright in a chair as family members come to visit. The piece covers the COVID-19 period showcasing the glass screens (remember those?) where families weren’t able to hug their loved ones.Ghai’s direction here distills the isolation felt by all whose worlds Queenie orbits.

As far as theatre nights go, A Tupperware of Ashes is a superbly entertaining evening to feel high emotions, but also enjoy those laughs that Syal and co. can deliver effortlessly.

Do what you can to get yourselves to the South Bank to see this exceptional production, that’s VERY nearly sold out: it’s not every day that we are blessed with a predominantly South Asian-led cast and creative team at the NT, so well done to Rufus Norris’ outgoing team for showcasing British South Asian excellency (there are, after all, 5.5 million of us as recorded in the last Census). I’m very excited to see what the new incoming Artistic Director’s (Indhu Rubashingham) vision for the venue and what they’ll also bring to the table.

Go see Tanika Gupta’s new play if you want to see two of the nation’s most prolific actors in a strong play that manages to leave a lasting impression. With this thought, I very much look forward to Gupta’s next work and hope it isn’t another twenty-four years before her works grace the NT once again given the sheer poignancy of this piece.

Until November 16 only | https://events.nationaltheatre.org.uk/events/90712

** N.B. This is an honest review, in exchange for a gifted / complimentary ticket. The reviewer has written this with their editorial control, with no external influence on how to frame the show. #AdvertisementFeature #PRInvite #Gifted #ad **

* CREDITS & TICKET / LISTING INFORMATION *

Writer Tanika Gupta

Director Pooja Ghai

Set and Costume Designer Rosa Maggiora Lighting Designer Matt Haskins

Composer Nitin Sawhney

Sound Designer Elena Peñ6a

Illusions Director and Designer John Bulleid Movement Director Anjali Mehra