RSC and Wise Children announce casting for The Buddha of Suburbia at the Barbican

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and Wise Children have announced the full cast for Emma Rice’s stage adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia.

Set in South London during the late 1970s, The Buddha of Suburbia follows 17-year-old Karim as he navigates life amid the challenges of the era, including high unemployment, inflation, and social unrest.

First seen in Stratford-upon-Avon earlier this year, the show will run at the Barbican in London from 22 October to 16 November 2024.

The cast features Dee Ahluwalia as Karim, Ankur Bahl as Haroon, Tommy Belshaw as Charlie/Shadwell, Rina Fatania as Tracey/Jeeta/Marlene/Auntie Jean, Natasha Jayetileke as Jamila, Naveed Khan as Anwar/Joanna, Deven Modha as Ensemble, Katy Owen as Margaret/Eleanor, Simon Rivers as Changez, Lucy Thackeray as Eva, and Ewan Wardrop as Matthew Pyke.

The creative team, led by Rice, includes set designer Rachana Jadhav, costume designer Vicki Mortimer, sound and video designer Simon Baker, lighting designer Jai Morjaria, composer Niraj Chag, choreographer and intimacy coordinator Etta Murfitt, fight director Kev McCurdy, and casting director Matthew Dewsbury.

Rice said today: “I am thrilled that The Buddha of Suburbia is getting another life, and even more thrilled to have such an incredibly talented cast performing it and bringing renewed energy and vitality to it. Above all, I can’t wait to see this delicious, naughty, and tender piece back on stage and to celebrate Wise Children’s collaboration with the RSC – I hope it’s the first of many!”

The RSC’s co-artistic directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans added: “We’re delighted that our first collaboration with Wise Children is transferring to London. Emma Rice and her team inspire us consistently – and The Buddha of Suburbia is no exception. We’re thrilled that audiences at the Barbican will get to savour the show’s wit, energy, and audacity.”

The production is part of the RSC’s limited Barbican season and will be followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Eleanor Rhode, starting on 3 December. These productions mark the first transfers to the London venue under the leadership of Evans and Harvey as co-artistic directors of the RSC.