The Beekeeper of Aleppo isn’t originally a book by Christy Lefteri. This tells the story about Nuri performed last night by understudy Aram Mardourian. Nuri is a beekeeper in the beautiful place Aleppo in Syria. A calm and simple life in the home he shares with his wife, Afra (Farah Saffari), an artist.

Surrounded by friends and family, the couple their lives are happy and fulfilled. Until one day, the war broke out, and everything they once knew and loved had gone, and they were forced to flee their home and old life in search of a new beginning in England.

The main body of the play is set during their journey to find a passage across to England. However, with the refuge camps rife with criminals, vulnerable genuine refugees like Nuri and Afra are an easy target to be exploited and taken advantage of.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo isn’t a comfortable watch and with so much in the news at the moment about all the refugees arriving on boats it is easy to loose sight of the fact that these are all people who have been subjected to and seen some of the worse things human beings can do to one another.

The stories of other refugees fleeing war and persecution come in and out of Nuri and Afras’ life as they are pushed from camp to camp while making their way across to England. How they could ever trust anyone again after what they experienced is beyond me.

Set designer Ruby Pugh combines the sands and landscape of Aleppo with a chair and a bed built into the sand. At first, it appeared strange, but as the story unfolds and the locations change, it all blends together perfectly. Combined with Ben Ormerods lighting design, bringing the softness of the Syrian sun onstage one minute, the next bright unforgiving glare of the Home Office immigration room.

It is Zsolt Balogh’s video projections that really bring the stage to life. Especially when the refugees are at the mercy of the open sea. There’s no scene changes, yet you can easily be transported to multiple places throughout the play.

Regardless of what you think about the people arriving on boats. This story is one that deserves to be seen and take away from it a new level of understanding about what all these people have to endure in order to get here. It’s certainly not an easy journey on a luxury liner. It is an intense and emotional play that leaves an impact long after curtain call.

For more information about The Beekeeper of Aleppo and future productions at The Salisbury Playhouse, please use the link below.

Five Stars.

Photo credit Manuel Harlan.

https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/the-beekeeper-of-aleppo-2