Play at Stratford theatre is wonderfully staged but could be more dramatic

As always, a wonderfully-staged production by the RSC, as moving screen images are fused with ships’ sails and ropes, classic English hymns are accompanied by sitar - and the dancing has flashes of pure Bollywood.

This world premier weaves fact with fiction and in many ways has much going for it. The year is 1887 when Queen Victoria celebrates her Golden Jubilee and a teenage Gandhi comes to Britain to study law. He already speaks English so he thinks he’ll also learn French - and dancing.

But Gandhi isn’t really a major figure in this story, which in essence is rather disappointingly conventional.

Anneika Rose plays Rani, a 16-year-old Indian ayah (nanny) who sails to England with her English employers, caring for their children and believing that they will also care for her.

On the same ship is Abdul Karim, the Indian servant who is being sent as a “gift” to Queen Victoria and goes on to become one of her closest companions - before his embarrassing presence is virtually expunged from history.

The queen is well cast in Beatie Edney, forever clad in black, but with a glorious, girlish titter that emerges from her formidable form every so often.

Then there’s humble deck-hand Hari (Ray Panthaki), not to mention the inevitable whore with a heart of gold in the shape of Lascar Sally (Tamzin Griffin). I particularly enjoyed the starched, seething prejudice of Lady Sarah, the queen’s lady in waiting, played by Kristin Hutchinson.

All the ingredients were there for a great drama. But Tanika Gupta’s story is more educational than dramatic.

An interesting sidenote is learning about Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Asian politician to be elected to Parliament, and about the homes for wronged and deserted ayahs, set up by the Christian churches.

Barbara Goulden