Previewing at the Bush Theatre from 7 February 2026 

A Bush Theatre and Tara Theatre co-production

Sweetmeats

Written by Karim Khan

Directed by Natasha Kathi-Chandra

Set & Costume Designer – Aldo Vázquez

Lighting Designer – Simeon Miller

Sound Designer – Hugh Sheehan

Composer – Amrit Kaur Lohia

Movement Director – Mateus Daniel

Costume Supervisor – Malena Arcucci 

Casting Director – Chloe Blake 

Production Manager – Chloe Stally Gibson 

Company Stage Manager on Book – Jo Alexander 

Assistant Stage Manager – Shuyin Stella Wang

Cast – Shobu Kapoor and Rehan Sheikh

7 February – 21 March 2026

Monday – Saturday at 7.30 pm

Wednesday matinees – 18, 25 Feb, 4, 11, 18 Mar at 2.30 pm

Saturday matinees – 21, 28 Feb, 7, 14, 21 Mar at 2.30 pm

Relaxed performances – Sat 21 Feb at 2.30 pm & Thurs 5 Mar at 7.30 pm

Captioned performances – Thurs 26 Feb at 7.30 pm & Sat 14 Mar at 2.30 pm

Audio-described performances and touch tours – Sat 28 Feb at 2.30 pm & Thurs 12 Mar at 7.30 pm 

Sweetmeats, which has its world premiere at the Bush Theatre from 7 February 2026 (press night 13 February), is an intimate love story between two South Asian elders, Hema (Shobu Kapoor, Polite Society) and Liaquat (Rehan Sheikh, Silence, Donmar Warehouse), who are brought together on a course for those facing type-2 diabetes. Sweetmeats is a co-production with Tara Theatre, the theatre company creating innovative, politically charged work through a South Asian lens. Sweetmeats is written by Karim Khan (Brown Boys Swim, Soho Theatre) and directed by Tara Theatre’s Artistic Director Natasha Kathi-Chandra.

In England, it’s estimated that there are over 420,000 people from a South Asian background living with diabetes. And over 230,000 have a diagnosis of prediabetes, meaning they’re at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. People of South Asian origin today are between four and six times more likely to get type 2 diabetes than white people.

An important factor, as reported in The Guardian in 2023, is the impact of the disproportionate number of famines under British colonial rule and the lasting effect on South Asian genes. *

South Asians have higher rates of diabetes due to a combination of genetic factors, different body fat distribution, diet, and lifestyle. People from this background are more likely to store fat around their organs (visceral fat), leading to insulin resistance even at lower BMI levels. Combined with traditional diets high in carbohydrates and fats, and lower levels of physical activity, this increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. **

Karim Khan said, ‘I wanted to centre a generation of South Asians that we rarely see on our stages – our elders – and make them the main characters of their own love story, as they navigate blood sugar levels, hypo snacks and metformin.

Director Natasha Kathi-Chandra said, ‘It is necessary and urgent to expand the canon of British Theatre to include more than one type of South Asian story. This was the driving force of my first season as Artistic Director at Tara Theatre- to platform a variety of voices in order to make this a reality.  For this final show, we look at two older voices from the diaspora communities living in the UK, inviting audiences into the rich journeys of their lives. It has been a joy to develop Sweetmeats with Karim and to produce it in collaboration with the Bush, I hope that at both venues it will spark conversations between intergenerational families and audiences beyond the auditorium.’

Tickets  

The Bush has updated its pricing structure this season to make tickets cheaper and help audiences find the deal that’s right for them. The theatre has moved away from dynamic pricing and released more £15 tickets than ever before. The concession rates are now all £5.

Sweetmeats

Previews: £15 – £20

From 13 February: £15 – £35

Concessions available.

Tickets can be booked at bushtheatre.co.uk or the Box Office on 020 8743 5050.

With a Bush Theatre season ticket, the more shows you book, the more you save.

Bush Theatre members get the best benefits, including discounts on tickets and savings at the bar. Free memberships are available for under-30s and local residents. See the Bush Theatre’s new website for details.

Bush Theatre

Opened in 1972, the Bush Theatre is internationally renowned as “the place to go for groundbreaking work as diverse as its audiences” (Evening Standard).  

A champion of playwrights and operating in one of London’s most culturally diverse areas, the Bush Theatre is committed to its local and wider artistic communities. Braiding these two strands of work together, the Bush produces an engaging and challenging programme that reflects the world we live in. 

Recent successes include multi-award-winning productions Red Pitch by Tyrell Williams and Shifters by Benedict Lombe, both of which transferred to the West End, and Invisible by Nikhil Parmar, which transferred to Off-Broadway.  Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer, Igor Memic’s Old Bridge, Waleed Akhtar’s The P Word, and Sleepova by Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini won the Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre’ in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.  

The Bush Theatre’s talent development programmes discover and develop the very best of the UK’s leading artists. The Bush team believes the theatre has a responsibility to programme and generate opportunities for new and established makers and, through long-term residencies, to support the sustainability of their careers.

The Bush continues to create a space where all communities can be part of its future and call the theatre home.

Tara Theatre

 For over four decades, Tara Theatre has supported the emergence of generations of South Asian performers, writers, directors, musicians and choreographers, and toured extensively both nationally and internationally. Artistic Director Natasha Kathi-Chandra continues this work, with Tara Theatre continuing its legacy of creating innovative, politically charged theatre, harnessing the power of co-creation. 

Our work explores the complexities of our world through a South Asian lens, championing South Asian voices and artists, identifying new narratives, new ideas, and new forms. Tara Theatre creates exceptional, innovative, and politically charged theatre for now. 

As the longest-running global majority-led theatre Tara Theatre is driving change within the UK theatre landscape, addressing the lack of diversity and representation and challenging our industry. Tara Theatre is a contemporary and democratic space, a centre for a wide-ranging community of artists and audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. Tara Theatre believes everyone we work with is an artist and has an important and creative voice to be amplified, whether they are part of our local community, younger creatives, emerging talents, or established professionals. 

Outside of Wandsworth, Tara Theatre works across the UK and internationally, with a focus on cities with large South Asian diaspora communities, including Greater Manchester, Leicester, Coventry, Birmingham, Derby, and Leeds. Internationally, we are focused on cities within the South Asian region, as well as cities in other regions with large South Asian diaspora communities