Tony Jayawardena to star in ‘East is East’ revival at National Theatre

Ayub Khan Din's play will reopen the Lyttelton Theatre.

The full cast for the upcoming 25th anniversary revival of East is East at the National Theatre has been announced. East is East is at the Lyttleton Theatre from 7 - 30 October, running as part of the reopening season at the Southbank venue.

Set in 1970s Salford, East is East follows George Khan, a Pakistani chip-shop owner who is determined to raise his kids in accordance with Islamic values in England. At the same time, George's English wife, Ella, is stuck between her marriage and her children's decisions.

Tony Jayawardena plays George, with Jayawardena previously playing Mr Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham. Sophie Stanton plays Ella, with Stanton previously in Made in Dagenham. The cast is completed by Amy-Leigh Hickman as Meenah, Irvine Iqbal as Mr Shah, Adonis Jenieco as Saleem, Rachel Lumberg as Annie, Noah Manzoor as Sajit, Joeravar Sangha as Maneer, Gurjeet Singh as Tariq and Assad Zaman as Abdul.

East is East is by Ayub Khan Din, with direction by Iqbal Khan. Scenic and lighting design by is Bretta Gerecke, with costume design by Susan Kulkarni and sound design by Jon Nicholls.

In a 2014 review of East is East, Mark Shenton said: "the play strikes a universal resonance for any time and any family." 

East is East is at the Lyttleton Theatre from 7 - 30 October.

^{Photo credit: Tony Jayawardena (Ben Broomfield)}