Last Updated on June 8, 2026
RSC brings Hanif Kureishi’s novel to the stage
The Buddha of Suburbia – an award-winning novel published in 1990 and later adapted as a TV series with a David Bowie soundtrack, has been adapted for the stage by Director Emma Rice and the book’s author, Hanif Kureishi. On stage, as in the novel, we follow the teenage Karim who is obsessed with identity, sex, music and getting away from his suburban household that he shares with his parents. His father, whom in the novel he nicknames The Buddha of Suburbia, has begun a relationship with a flamboyant woman named Eva and he begins to provide spiritual guidance to groups of her friends who gather for meditation sessions. This is suburban 1970s along with kaftans, dungarees and kipper ties. Father and son are surrounded by a group of family and friends each of whom is a colourful character and this adds much humour and pathos as we follow their stories. The novel has several additional characters who are written out of the play – I expect for the sake of brevity – although it still runs on close to three hours including an interval.
This RSC/ Wise Children production at the Barbican, directed by Emma Rice, was very well received when it opened last year at The Swan in Stratford-Upon-Avon and I have no doubt it will continue to delight audiences in London during its one-month run. While the novel is no longer breaking taboos – dealing with issues of sexuality, race, class and immigration along with music and theatre creatives – it remains very funny and sadly, many of the issues remain all too pertinent today.
Many viewers will be aware that author Hanif Kureishi suffered a life-changing accident a few years back in Rome. His recently published book, Shattered, details what has happened in his life since. The Buddha of Suburbia deals with an earlier phase of his life. The script was devised by Director Emma Rice and Hanif Kureishi and keeps close to the text while adding in some observations about the period which are not in the novel. Many of the laugh-out-loud lines in the book are brought to life by the cast who all have wonderful comic timing. It is a very funny book – although it explores serious issues – and it transfers well onto the stage in a feat of exuberance, colour and a lot of fun. It does not take itself too seriously, and while there are references to the racist politics of the times, it sprinkles this onto the production rather than ladling big spoonfuls. There is enough sex to make a fruit salad – bananas, melons and grapefruit being used as body parts – and it teeters onto the edge of buffoonery at times, but in the expert hands of Rice, does not fall over the cliff. Nor does it, in the midst of some slapstick comedy, avoid the reality of grooming and sexual exploitation by Matthew Pyke, the theatre director who is brilliantly played by Ewan Wardrop whose comic timing is perfect at all times especially when breaking the fourth wall. Rice keeps the long story moving at a cracking pace, and peppers just the right number of dance routines into the mix. The nod to Bollywood is appropriate and well-performed.
The audience had a great time and it certainly seemed that the actors did too. There were so many strong performances that it is difficult to pick anyone out. Dee Ahluwalia was terrific as Karim and as this is only his second professional appearance on the stage, audiences can look forward to seeing more of him. Ankur Bahl as his father, Haroon, was as good an actor as a dancer and I wonder how many actors can stand on their heads?
This joyful production is just the tonic for taking one’s mind off the troubles that are raging in the world outside. It is a love letter to the theatre amongst other topics, and reminds one – if one needs reminding – of the pleasure of physical theatre. The choreography (Etta Murfitt) was excellent, and the cast shimmied and shook with aplomb. The playlist was a trip down memory lane for those of us of a certain vintage and the costumes (Vicki Mortimer) were terrific, perfectly capturing the style of the 70s. The split-level set (Rachanda Jadhay) worked well and enabled different aspects of the story to be played out simultaneously.
The Buddha of Suburbia is a joyful production that balances serious topics – race, class, racial violence and the immigrant experience in the UK. There is plenty of sex, drugs and music that transports the audience back into the 70s with heaps of humour and strong performances.
The Buddha of Suburbia runs at the Barbican Theatre until 16 November 2024.
Barbican Theatre,
Barbican Centre,
Silk Street,
London EC2Y 8DS
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