A Tupperware of Ashes is a sensitive, yet moving and often funny, without being glib, portrayal of a powerful matriarch succumbing to dementia. The unique power of this play is that the audience get to see both the sufferer and loved ones point of view at the same time.
This is one of the best things I’ve seen all year. Great theatre is the mix of playwrights and actors at the top of their game and in playwright Tanika Gupta together with Meera Syal, as the matriarch Queenie and her best friend Indrani played by Shobna Gulati we have that here.
A Tupperware of Ashes tells the story of Queenie who immigrated to England and created a successful restaurant business winning a Michelin star. However, she’s now being ravaged by dementia seeing her dead husband amongst other things. The staging and direction are excellent. But it is Meera who manages to convey the inner turmoil and conflict that those of us who’ve watched a loved one succumb to the disease know only too well. We quite literally watch her fade on stage in a way I’ve never witnessed before. The sound scape really adds to the drama as well.
This is a dynamic play that is packed with passion and humour despite the subject matter. You will feel the full raft of emotions from grief to rage especially those scenes that take place during covid. Brava and Bravo to the cast and creatives. The supporting cast is excellent as well. As I watched it I could see my Lin on stage battling that wicked disease. It was both deeply moving and hugely comforting to see both the person with the disease and those around them trying to help them. It’s such a clever, nuanced and well observed production.
I urge you to get a ticket and see it before the run ends on the 16 November 2024.
