THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO - REVIEW

The Beekeeper of Aleppo began life as a novel by Christy Lefteri in 2019, a fictional tale based on the author’s experience working in refugee camps in Athens. Those same camps feature in this story, as we follow Syrian refugees Nuri and Afra across the Mediterranean, through Europe, to the UK. As yet another refugee crisis strikes in Sudan, and Syria and Turkey have faced further destruction from recent earthquakes, this Nottingham Playhouse production feels apt for the moment as it brings its message on tour around the UK.

Playwrights Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler are well aware of the pitfalls of the refugee narrative. Stories of crossing an ocean to safety, rather than feeling epic, at their worst can feel exploitative of some of the worst moments a human can face for a cheap pull at the heartstrings. Alrefaai and Spangler avoid many of these pitfalls. Much like the novel on which it is based, this play is a non-linear narrative. This avoids the ‘and then’ that a journey narrative, and particularly a troubled one, can have, often feeling as relentless as the Book of Job. Instead, these traumas are contextualised with their ramifications once Nuri and Afra have reached the UK, as we see that gaining asylum is not the end of their struggle, and understand the emotional ramifications of their journey. This turns the narrative from a simple ‘do they survive?’ to a more nuanced investigation of trauma. The lingering nature of trauma is beautifully crafted in the use of projection on the cloth-laden set by Ruby Pugh, allowing moments to layer over and segue into each other in a way that creates a rich tapestry of experience. Particularly visceral was the depiction of a boat crossing at the end of act one, an especially powerful moment.

With that said, the script does not always feel like it does justice to this complex story, a perennial problem when condensing a novel into two hours of stage time. The writing on the UK asylum system is necessary but heavy-handed, and many of the characters they meet along the way feel underdeveloped. Furthermore, we focus so much on the struggles that Nuri and Afra face that it feels like we miss a real sense of character from them: who they are and the core of their relationship. It feels as though the tight focus of a stage play does this material a disservice, and that perhaps the more expansive original form of the novel suited it better. As a result, we don’t get to know Nuri, Afra or anyone else well enough to truly be immersed in their story, however well-portrayed. On that note, particular kudos must go to Roxy Fariday’s portrayal of the partially blind Afra, however, whose ability to convey emotion without using her sightline is very affecting.

There is much to be said for The Beekeeper of Aleppo; its message is powerful, and it works hard to show the after-effects of trauma on refugees. Yet without the space to explore character, there will always be a wall of distance between the audience and the emotion that the text seeks to evoke. Perhaps a play written directly for the stage would have solved some problems here; right now, this feels forced into a form that it does not quite fit.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is on at Richmond Theatre until the 6th of May; the show is on a UK tour, find more tour dates here!

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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