Exclusive: Indhu Rubasingham and Nima Taleghani on why they’ve put the god of theatre on stage at the National Theatre

Nima Taleghani is perhaps best known for his role as Mr Farouk in Netflix’s Heartstopper. Now his first play – an adaptation of Euripides’ Bacchae – has become the first debut play in the Olivier Theatre. And it opens Indhu Rubasingham’s – who also helms the production – first season as director of the National Theatre. They talk to chief critic Sarah Crompton about making classics contemporary, rhyming verse and why theatre, like life, is best when it’s a little bit cheeky and a little bit risky.

Chief critic Sarah Crompton and editor-in-chief Alex Wood host a weekly series on all things theatrical. News, views, frank exchanges and lists offer an unmissable guide to what’s happening on stage (and in film and on television) now, in the past and in future.

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