Hymn

"Sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself" ~ Miles Davis

Two men meet at a funeral

Gil knew the deceased

Benny did not

Before long their families are close

Soon they'll be singing the same tune

Benny is a loner anchored by his wife and children

Gil longs to fulfill his potential

They develop a deep bond but as cracks appear in their fragile lives they start to realise that true courage comes in different forms

Featuring music from Gil and Benny's lives, Lolita Chakrabarti's searching, soulful new play asks what it takes to be a good father, brother or son

This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London's Almeida Theatre in February 2021

REVIEWS

“One of the beauties of Chakrabarti's script is that the characters' heritage is incidental to the emotional core of the story, rather than central ... The crisis I kept anticipating duly arrives, but it's not what I expected. Suffice to say, the expected flashpoint is internal not external, and the play ends with another thoughtful layer added to its musing on men” ~ Evening Standard

“Hymn, a new play from Lolita Chakrabarti, live streamed from an empty Almeida, is notable because it is so full of life ... From there this two-hander spins off into an involving and emotional study of the friendship that develops between the two contrasting figures...mind-blowingly excellent” ~ WhatsOnStage