Uncover the remarkable hidden stories of ayah Rani and servant Abdul Karim as Tanika Gupta's new play brings Victorian London to life in a way never seen before.
It is Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887. At Tilbury Docks, Rani Das and Abdul Karim step ashore after the long voyage from India. One has to battle a society who deems her a second class citizen, the other forges an astonishing entanglement with the ageing Queen who finds herself enchanted by stories of an India she rules but has never seen.
Blending the true story of Queen Victoria's relationship with Abdul Karim with the experiences of the Indian ayahs who came to Britain during the nineteenth century, The Empress brings a hidden part of British history gloriously to life.
Emma Rice, Artistic Director of Kneehigh Theatre, directs Tanika Gupta's new play following their work together on the 2012 production of Tanika's Wah! Wah! Girls in the West End.