Christy Lefteri’s best-selling novel has arrived in a world premiere brand-new adaption of this terrific story!
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a novel written by Christy Lefteri which has been adapted by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler for stage. The story follows Nuri, a beekeeper and his wife Afra who is an artist. They live a happy life in the Syrian city of Aleppo until war breaks out. Faced with the terrifying journey ahead, they must navigate this changing world and eventually find themselves/each other again. The book is a phenomenal read, being able to navigate this complex story of connection and love. It has been a while since I read the book, though I was excited to relive the story live on stage. This production is directed by Anthony Almeida with original director Miranda Cromwell, understanding the material and using this in a theatrical sense to bring a new life to the original material. The way this piece has been brought together is grand, captivating and emotive: engaging audience members more than most shows!
Ruby Pugh designs this production and has envisioned the story perfectly. The set is well considered and used effectively throughout the show. Ben Ormerod, Tingying Dong and Zsolt Balogh support the production through lighting, sound and video design. All these elements really allow the story to be genuine. Specifically, the lighting is incredibly well utilised to convey different aspects of Nuri and Afra’s journey. Alongside this, the music for the production has been composed b Elaha Soroor. This propels the piece and makes the story become more intense and authentic.
Both Mohsen Gaffari and Helena Massoud are involved in the ensemble: adding extra depth and weight to each scene they are in. Their presence allows the production to feel grander in scope whilst staying with a smaller cast. Dona Atallah plays Mohammed/Sami, Aram Mardourian plays Nadim/Fotakis/Ali, Princess Khumalo plays Angeliki/Lucy Fisher and Alia Lahlou plays Dr Faruk/Dahab/Immigration Officer. All of these characters are met along the way, adding to Nuri’s story of travelling to England. Specifically, Mohammed develops a bond with Nuri, where Nuri sees him as a son. These actors allowed the story to be effortlessly told. Joseph Long plays Mustafa/Moroccan Man. Long is able to navigate through multiple roles without much difficulty: making the audience believe both his roles fully.
Farah Saffari plays Afra, Nuri’s wife. Afra has a lot of change through the journey and some of challenges she faces are very serious, leading to some difficult scenes to watch. Saffari is able to portray this with a balance of elegance and intensity, making the piece feel real. Adam Sina plays Nuri, the central character in the production. Nuri is a character carrying lots of emotional weight. Sina is able to deliver a strong and powerful performance as this character. The way he interacts with this challenging new world is excellent. In modern society, The Beekeeper of Aleppo portrays a real and poignant refugee journey, which is challenging to watch at times but lingers in your brain long after the performance: being a breathtaking piece of theatre.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo stays at Peterborough till Saturday. Book now!
Tickets were provided complimentary. Many thanks to the PR team at New Theatre Peterborough and UK Productions Ltd in association with Nottingham Playhouse.
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