Rehearsals are underway for the National Theatre return of Anupama Chandrasekhar’s The Father and the Assassin, which will play the Olivier September 8-October 14 with an official opening September 14.
Directed by Kiln Theatre Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham, the cast will be led by 2022 Olivier winner Hiran Abeysekera, who was recently on Broadway in Life of Pi, as Nathuram Godse and Paul Bazely (Cruella), who will reprise his role as Mahatma Gandhi.
The company will also feature Azan Ahmed, Ravi Aujla (The Lehman Trilogy), Ayesha Dharker (Chasing Hares), Ravin J Ganatra (When Winston Went to War with the Wireless), Raj Ghatak (The Kite Runner), Halema Hussain (Does My Bomb Look Big In This?), Nadeem Islam (Antigone), Tony Jayawardena (East Is East), Nicholas Khan (Life of Pi), Raj Khera, Hari Mackinnon (The Cherry Orchard), Sid Sagar (Cabaret), Akshay Shah (Kabul Goes Pop), Marc Elliott (She Loves Me), Sasha Ghoshal (Bend it Like Beckham the Musical), Aysha Kala (The Motive and the Cue), Johndeep More (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar), and Aryana Ramkhalawon (Exodus).
Check out the company in rehearsal in the photos below:
Sid Sagar and company
Raj Khera, Azan Ahmed, and Sasha Ghoshal
Paul Bazely and company
Paul Bazely and company
Nicholas Khan, Paul Bazely, and Hiran Abeysekera
Marc Elliott and Ravin J. Ganatra
Indhu Rubasingham
Hiran Abeysekera
Hiran Abeysekera
Hari Mackinnon and company
Ayesha Dharker, Hiran Abeysekera, and company
Anupama Chandrasekhar
Akshay Shah Kishen and Halema Hussain
The Father and the Assassin follows Mahatma Gandhi, the famed lawyer, champion of non-violence, and beloved leader; and Nathuram Godse, the journalist and nationalist who murdered Gandhi. The play traces Godse’s life over 30 years during India’s fight for independence: from a devout follower of Gandhi, through to his radicalization and their tragic final encounter in Delhi in 1948.
The creative team also includes set and costume designer Rajha Shakiry, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, movement director Lucy Cullingford, composer Siddhartha Khosla (with additional music by David Shrubsole), sound designer Alexander Caplen, fight director Kate Waters, casting director Alastair Coomer, associate set and costume designer Khadija Raza, and staff director John Young.
The Father and the Assassin was nominated for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for Best Play (2022) and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (2023).
Visit NationalTheatre.org.uk.
