10 – 14 February
Bath favourite Felicity Kendal returns to the Theatre Royal in the first major revival for thirty years of one of Tom Stoppard‘s most nostalgic plays, Indian Ink. Following a run at Hampstead Theatre, the show appears from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 February and this production marks the first major revival since 1995, when Felicity Kendal created the role of Flora Crewe. She now returns to play Mrs Swan in director Jonathan Kent’s new production, his first collaboration with Tom Stoppard.
1930s India. 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.
1980s England. 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 – a nude…
Satirising the self-importance of both academia and the ruling class, Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink is an evocative meditation on art and love, exploring how creativity can bridge even the most profound cultural barriers.
Felicity Kendal (Rosemary and Thyme, The Good Life) will play the role of Mrs Swan. The cast also includes Ruby Ashbourne Serkis (Grace Pervades, Theatre Royal Bath; Shardlake; I, Jack Wright) as Flora Crewe, Gavi Singh Chera (Behind the Beautiful Forevers, National Theatre; Lord of the Rings; Blitz) as Nirad Das, Sagar Arya (The Father and the Assassin, National Theatre ) as Coomaraswami, Mark Carlisle (Once, Phoenix Theatre) as Resident, Neil D’Souza (Out of Season, Hampstead Theatre) as Dilip, Tom Durant-Pritchard (The Tempest, Shakespeare’s Globe ) as David Durance, Aaron Gill (East is South, Hampstead Theatre) as Anish Das, Irvine Iqbal (The Father and The Assassin, National Theatre) as Rajah / Politician, Evan Milton (Edward II, RSC ) as Englishman / Eric, Bethany Muir (Water Under The Bridge, Soho Theatre ) as Englishwoman / Nell, Donald Sage Mackay (Girl From The North Country, West End) as Eldon Pike and Sushant Shekhar (Sophia, Mercury Theatre) as Nazrul.
Joining director Jonathan Kent in the creative team is set designer Leslie Travers, costume designer Nicky Shaw, lighting designer Peter Mumford, sound designer Christopher Shutt and composer Kuljit Bhamra.
Felicity Kendal’s many appearances at the Theatre Royal Bath include most recently: Mrs Warren’s Profession (2009), Relatively Speaking (2012, 2013), Hay Fever (2014), A Room With a View (2016), Noises Off (2022, Theatre Royal Bath and UK Tour prior to West End) and the title role in Filumena (2024).
INDIAN INK appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 14 February. To book tickets visit the Theatre Royal Bath website at theatreroyal.org.uk or contact the Box Office on 01225 448844
Photography credit: Johan Persson
