Babel Shakespeare Emmeline Winterbotham - Arcola tent

Tower Theatre as part of the RSC Open Stages initiative presents Baba Shakespeare, at the Arcola Tent in east London, from 17 April to 2 May 2012.

Adapted by Emmeline Winterbotham . Suggested by the Merchant Ivory film Shakespeare Wallah of 1965 by Ruth Jhabvala and James Ivory.

Loosely based on the real-life experiences of actress Felicity Kendal and her family, the story follows a troupe of British theatre players as they travel across 1960s India performing their particular brand of Shakespeare against the backdrop of a newly emerging nation; and of the tangled love affair which ensues between a young English actress, a rich Indian playboy, and a glamorous Bollywood star. Baba Shakespeare offers a new twist on the themes of cultural clash and identity by exploring the 1960s story through the lens of a contemporary Indian film director, interweaving it with the colour and spectacle of music and dance.