"It applies to all of us... we all have one life"
Rea Dennhardt Patel is quickly emerging as one of British theatre’s most original voices, and her new play, The Undying, makes an unforgettable statement.
Directed by award-winning Imy Wyatt Corner, the play opens at Soho Theatre on February 9, 2026.
Starring Vaishnavi Suryaprakash and Akaash Dev Shemar, it tells the story of Amba and Prav, an elderly South Asian couple whose lives take a surreal turn when Amba buys a pill called TwiceLife that reduces human age each time it’s taken.
Amba takes it while her husband refuses to swallow it, challenging their marriage, memories, and ambitions.
Inspired by Patel’s grandmother, the play blends humour, heart, and philosophical inquiry, asking what we would do if we could relive life in reverse.
Shortlisted for Soho Theatre’s Tony Craze Award and nominated for The Theatre Blacklist 2025, The Undying promises to leave audiences reflecting on love, ageing, and the lives we choose.
Rea Dennhardt Patel spoke to DESIblitz about the inspiration behind The Undying, the challenges of portraying reverse ageing and the cultural nuances that make it resonate.
Family and Futurism Roots
The Undying begins with a deceptively simple premise, following an elderly South Asian couple who take a reverse ageing pill.
For Rea Dennhardt Patel, the idea quickly became universal:
“The play is about a 90-year-old South Asian married couple who take a reverse aging pill.
“It applies to all of us… We all have one life and it only moves in one direction.”
While the concept feels speculative, Patel insists it is not distant science fiction.
She says: “But the play also isn’t miles away from Silicon Valley reality of five years from now.”
What truly unlocked the story was personal reflection rather than technology. Patel leaned into a private thought experiment.
She explains: “More than the initial spark, I think I really got into the thought experiment… what would my grandma have done had she got this pill.
“I think she would have taken it.”
That emotional anchor shapes the play’s tone, questions and urgency.
Grandmothers, Migration and Emotional Truth
Patel’s grandmother sits quietly at the centre of The Undying. Her life story provided the play’s emotional gravity.
She says: “My grandmother came to England from Uganda.
“She was old and ill and even though she brought us up and didn’t speak English, she was very interested in the world.
“So for me, the story became about what she would do, if she suddenly found herself my age.”
The Undying is not written to chase surface realism. Patel prioritised something deeper from the performers.
“I also think because she is somehow spiritually at the centre of the story, I really needed to feel emotional truth, not acting from the actors.”
This insistence on authenticity aligns with Patel’s wider approach. The play honours older South Asian lives without reducing them to symbols or stereotypes.
Marriage, Humour and Cultural Resistance
At the heart of the play is Amba and Prav’s relationship.
Rea Dennhardt Patel says: “They have a solid, traditional marriage that aged well.”
She draws their marriage from recognisable community dynamics:
“There are a lot of these uncle and aunty marriages around, old people who’ve been together forever, tease and love/hate each other, but could never live without one another.”
Ageing, for Patel, also invites playfulness:
“Old people also become a bit like children, so it was fun to write about.”
Writing about reverse ageing brought unexpected resistance.
Patel explains: “Bigger than the creative challenge was the cultural challenge.
“My characters Prav and Amba may have lived in this country since the 1970s and while we all know them from home, you don’t see them on TV or stage much.”
One comment hardened her resolve and Patel’s response was clear.
She recalls: “Quite early on, someone told me that if I wanted to write a play featuring Indians, it should be set in India.
“That just made me lean into the Desi-ness even more.”
To balance heavy themes, humour became essential.
Patel says: “Dealing with knotty issues in a light way was important. I didn’t want to write a tragedy or a rom-com.
“The play shouldn’t have heavy energy.”
Nuance mattered just as much, as Patel explains:
“Ageing isn’t per se all terrible. Being young isn’t all wonderful.
“Definitely, there are lots of good things the characters lose as they get younger, like perspective, which is quite interesting to see.”
Still, the transformation offers unexpected satisfaction.
“But they also both, in a funny, twisted way, get what they want out of de-ageing.”
Collaboration and Recognition
The Undying’s development was shaped by collaboration, particularly with director Imy Wyatt Corner.
Speaking about the collaboration, Patel says:
“Imy is very very good at what she does.
“I respect her opinions and trust her craft and I think that’s also true in reverse.”
That balance is “why it works”.
The Undying also marks a career milestone for Patel:
“I wrote an adaptation of The Comedy of Errors for The RSC and Norwich Theatre Royal while I was still at University, but this is my first proper, original play to be staged.”
Early recognition has brought cautious optimism.
Patel elaborates: “There’ve been a couple of recognitions now, so that gives me confidence.
“Soho Theatre is a pretty amazing kick-off point.”
When it comes to the future, Patel remains grounded:
“But I am still on the starting blocks. It would be nice to tour it and really take it into Desi communities.”
Ultimately, The Undying is designed to leave audiences feeling held rather than haunted.
Patel says: “I want them to walk out thinking they had a good time.
“Maybe feel the warmth of shared experience.”
There is also a quieter provocation beneath the humour, as Patel adds:
“And possibly, just maybe, because the pill doesn’t exist and life only moves in one direction, a little keener to live the lives they want to live.”
The Undying is more than a clever thought experiment; it is a celebration of resilience, love, and the unspoken bonds that shape our lives.
Through Amba and Prav, Rea Dennhardt Patel explores the humour, regrets, and desires that come with age, while also shining a spotlight on South Asian representation rarely seen on stage.
Her collaboration with Imy Wyatt Corner, grounded in mutual trust and her thoughtful anchoring in personal experience, ensures the play resonates both emotionally and culturally.
By the final scene, The Undying leaves viewers not only entertained but also quietly inspired to live with intention – and perhaps to reconsider the possibilities of a life truly well lived.
The Undying is on at Soho Theatre on February 9 and 10, 2026.
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