A Tupperware of Ashes will run at the National Theatre from the 25th September to the 16 November 2024.
You can book tickets here!
An ambitious Michelin-Star chef, Queenie is used to having the last word.
But when her children notice gaps in her memory and her grip on reality loosening, they are faced with an impossible choice. As Raj, Gopal and Kamala battle to reconcile their life-long duty to their mother, the ramifications of their decision take on a heartbreaking permanence.
Tanika Gupta and Pooja Ghai (Artistic Director of Tamasha Theatre Company) reunite for their latest collaboration, following the critically acclaimed The Empress.
Meera Syal is Queenie in this vivid and heart-breaking family drama about life, immigration and the Indian spiritual cycle of death and rebirth.
This is an important and vital play and we hope it will have a life far beyond the here and now – Syal has gifted us something significant and touching – we should all honour that and Gupta’s writing by seeing it, if we most possibly can – Asian Culture Vulture ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Phenomenal writing, direction and staging, paired with one of the greatest performances you will see on a stage this year, A Tupperware Of Ashes is exceptional on every front – All That Dazzles ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Where most Alzheimer’s narratives are hopelessly bleak, Tanika Gupta manages to include not just the plainly heartbreaking in new drama A Tupperware of Ashes, but the profuse life already lived, as well as the many lives left to go on without protagonist Queenie – What’s On Stage ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Tupperware of Ashes is masterfully written with complex characters who provoke both shock and empathy. (The play) is a lot to process and requires a few deep breaths, but it is also expertly executed and well deserving of its standing ovation on opening night – The Upcoming ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Tupperware of Ashes is an impressive new play, telling a devastating story with impressive authenticity and humour, and is full of fine acting performances from a talented cast. Well worth checking out – The Gay TImes ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tanika Gupta’s new play is a beautifully heartfelt mix of comedy and tragedy – The Arts Desk
A Tupperware of Ashes succeeds in delivering a powerful and moving exploration of family, loss, and identity. Meera Syal’s bold and honest portrayal of Queenie stays with you long after the final curtain, making this a production that is as emotionally rich as it is visually striking – West End Best Friend ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Meera Syal’s performance remains in the memory long after her character departs – and after the lights go down. A Tupperware of Ashes has crafted a formidable character, and one that will be remembered – The Reviews Hub ⭐⭐⭐⭐
An utterly compelling watch, I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish – London Theatre 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gupta ensures there is humour, hope and playfulness flowing underneath – The Guardian ⭐⭐⭐⭐
For many watching there will be recognition, goosebumps and tears – The Telegraph ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A powerful sound design by Elena Peña creates deliberately disorienting effects. Recorded voices mumble through layers of distortion, mingling with Nitin Sawhney’s evocative score – The Stage ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pooja Ghai’s atmospheric production will strike a chord and Meera Syal’s heartbreaking, and surely award-winning, performance will make you weep – The Daily Mail ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Tupperware of Ashes is a vulnerable and extremely moving play. It’s unique, insightful, and rich in culture, yet heartbreaking and sad, and will resonate with many who experience it – Afridiziak
A play detailing how a devoted family must relinquish much of what other families do without blinking is wrenching; but it’s hilarious too – Plays International
Pooja Ghai and Tanika Gupta make a fantastic creative team, and have once again come together to create a piece of work that is entertaining, informative, and affecting – Broadway World ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Central to the beautiful and nuanced production, is a towering performance by Meera Syal as Queenie – London Box Office ⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a playwright, Gupta’s great skill is using specific cultural jokes and insights as an invitation to the audience, that receive them like grateful guests – Tribe Arts ⭐⭐⭐⭐
All in all, impossible not to be moved – British Theatre Guide
The tone is remarkably well-balanced with the right amount of light and shade and culturally specific jokes that have universal resonance – London Theatre ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Tupperware of Ashes isn’t just an excellent work of fiction, but a bleak, vital conversation about how we treat our elderly – City AM
Meera Syal makes a formidable matriarch – The Times ⭐⭐⭐
The playwright draws upon her own Bengali upbringing in London for this family drama, which under Pooja Ghai’s direction and the clever lighting of the sparse set very deftly flows in and out of Queenie’s past and present to create a rather visceral impact for audiences – Global
Syal brings Queenie vividly to life – Time Out ⭐⭐⭐
As this morphs into a realist play about dementia, Gupta always allows a current of humour to remain. – The Independent ⭐⭐⭐
TUPPERWARE is a registered trade mark owned by Dart Industries Inc. Its inclusion does not constitute any association with, or endorsement or sponsorship by, Dart Industries Inc.
