The Buddha of Suburbia

My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred. Almost.

South London in the late seventies. High unemployment, high inflation, food shortages and strikes. But despite the winter of discontent, 17-year-old Karim’s life is about to explode into glorious technicolour as he navigates a path to enlightenment. Or at the very least, Beckenham.

Emma Rice adapts the award-winning 1990 novel, which was later turned into an acclaimed TV series, with Hanif Kureishi. On stage it becomes an irresistible, heart-breaking and joyful exploration of family, friends, sex, theatre and, ultimately, belonging.

This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the RSC in April 2024.

Emma Rice is the proud and excited Artistic Director of her new company, Wise Children. She adapted and directs the company’s forthcoming Bagdad Cafe, and previous productions Angela Carter’s Wise Children (The Old Vic/UK tour) and Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers (Bristol Passenger Shed/UK tour).?For the ENO she directed Orpheus in the Underworld. As Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe (2016-18), she directed Romantics Anonymous, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Little Matchgirl(and Other Happier Tales). For the previous 20 years, she worked for Kneehigh as an actor, director and Artistic Director. Her productions for Kneehigh include: The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Tristan & Yseult, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, The Wild Bride, The Red Shoes, The Wooden Frock, The Bacchae, Cymbeline (in association with RSC), A Matter of Life and Death (in association with the National Theatre), Rapunzel (in association with Battersea Arts Centre); Brief Encounter (in association with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers Productions); Don John (in association with the RSC and Bristol Old Vic); Wah! Wah! Girls (in association with Sadler’s Wells and Theatre Royal Stratford East for World Stages); and Steptoe and Son. Notable engagements elsewhere: the West End production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Oedipussy (Spymonkey); The Empress (RSC); and An Audience with Meow Meow (Berkeley Repertory Theatre).