Indian Ink Hampstead Theatre

"Indian Ink tells the story of Flora Crewe (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis), a free-spirited, Bloomsbury Group poet who has been painted by Modigliani in Paris, and who captivates the Indian artist Nirad Das (Gavi Singh Chera) when she travels to India in the 1930s in the vain hope of improving her health she is fatally ill with TB. Fast forward 50 years to the 1980s,"

"A second visitor seeks out Eleanor, this time Anish Das (Irvine Iqbal), the son of the artist Nirad. He shows her a nude his father painted of Flora 50 years before, which suggests that they might have been lovers. As with all of Stoppard's plays, there are many intertwined levels of meaning to unpack. Themes of creativity, loss and how art bridges cultural barriers are explored. Indian Ink is suffused with nostalgia for a bygone era in India while also critiquing the Empire."

The play follows Flora Crewe, a free-spirited Bloomsbury Group poet painted by Modigliani in Paris, who travels to India in the 1930s in a vain attempt to improve her health and dies of tuberculosis. Fifty years later, American researcher Eldon Pike investigates Flora's letters and visits her sister Eleanor Swan, who holds many of the documents. Anish Das, son of artist Nirad, presents a nude his father painted of Flora, suggesting a possible past relationship. Themes include creativity, loss, nostalgia for a bygone India, and critique of Empire. The dialogue remains witty, with strong performances from the female leads.

Read at www.london-unattached.com