The Father and the Assassin
Olivier Theatre, NT. September 27, 2023
Unexpected matinee performance and DANG did I chose the right play. WOW!
This is the story of India, Ghandi, colonialism, Partition, radicalisation and ultimately murder.
The storytelling is gripping and artfully done. I was in from the second the lights went down.
The fourth wall is broken immediately, we are in our assassin’s head. He’s main character and narrator. And he’s EVERYWHERE. He flies around the stage, he leaps, he bounds, he is like a gazelle, an acrobat.
Hiran Abeysekera is a ball of energy as Nathuram Godse our anti-hero. He’s looking for a cause to believe in, for someone to devote himself to. He finds Ghandi and is converted, then he falls out of love with Ghandi’s Mahātmā, and turns to the Hindu nationalism of Savarkar which leads to him believe his martyrdom is ultimately required.
It’s a cautionary tale agains radicalisation of disaffected youth, against nationalism being used to divide a country. Sound familiar…
The performances are superb. Hiran Abeysekera is astonishing in the lead role. What a performance. Stunning. An Olivier nomination is surely beckoning.
The rest of the cast are equally brilliant. And I loved Nadeem Islam as the school guardian who acts as a father figure explaining to Nathuram how to “become a man”. He is then the catalyst for Nathuram’s turn away from non violent protest to anger and violence.
The Olivier stage looks like it’s set for a Peter Brook adaptation — minimalist and bare, and with a backdrop of handwoven cloth that appears to be unravelling — like Nathuram, like India. The revolve is used to great effect too. Perfect.
5/5 Unexpected brilliance.
(Unbelievably there are still £20 tickets available for most performances so could be the perfect treat. Get in there.)
