My Splendid Isolation: Indhu Rubasingham – 'Eighties comfort music reminds me of good times'
What I’m watching
The thing that I’ve loved is This Is Us, an American drama series on Amazon Prime – it follows the lives of three siblings (one of whom is African-American, adopted after the other two’s triplet brother died at birth) jumping across time – between the Sixties, Eighties and now – and taking in the death of their father.
It’s how they deal with lots of issues – mental health, weight, race, sexuality, bereavement in very ordinary, normal lives – and it’s brilliantly written, shot and acted. I nearly cry every episode.
I’ve also been watching Unorthodox, a German-American drama on Netflix – based on Deborah Feldman’s autobiography of the same name – about a woman fleeing her arranged Hasidic Jewish marriage in Brooklyn and escaping to Berlin. Again, it’s beautifully filmed and gives you insights into a world you normally don’t know anything about.
What I’m listening to
I’m going back to my youth and lots of Eighties stuff for comfort listening, for example, Annie Lennox’s Diva album and that song Walking on Broken Glass – which feels a bit apt at the moment. And I’ve also been listening to musical soundtracks, bringing back memories of good times. One of my influences as a kid, as a precursor to my love of theatre, was loving The Kids from Fame – I’m not listening to that album yet, but I suspect it’s only a matter of time!
What I’m reading
I have a couple of books on the go. A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne – about the ambition driving an aspiring (sociopathic) writer and the lengths to which he will go to become a literary hero. And there’s Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams – a novel about race, youth and love, which is very funny.
I am looking forward to reading Ayad Akhtar’s new novel Homeland Elegies, out in September. I have an early proof and it’s right up my street. It’s a deeply personal novel – an American son and his immigrant father search for belonging and reconciliation in the age of Trump. Ayad is a friend and collaborator, I had the deep pleasure of directing his play The Invisible Hand in 2016. To tell the truth, sometimes I find it hard to read – the preoccupation with the world let alone the worry of running the theatre takes the edge off relaxing.
An activity
I’ve taken up It’s very early days: I have ordered paintbrushes, sketchpads and pencils. I’m trying to doodle and draw. As yet, I’ve sadly still not found any latent talent, but I am following YouTube tutorials for children and having fun.
The thing that made me laugh this week To be honest, Trump was making me laugh, but less so now as time goes on. I am finding humour with my friends and just discovered the comedian Julie Nolke on YouTube…check out her sketch Explaining Pandemic to Past Self. She’s great!
What I can’t wait to do once this is all over
I can’t wait to be watching a show at the theatre, by which I really mean the Kiln, and with a full house. I also can’t wait to be able to play with my one-year-old niece – I really miss her.
