Christy Lefteri’s bestselling book, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, is not an obvious choice for a theatre adaptation. The non-linear time frame, the journey from Syria to the UK and the nature of bees all pose challenges for staging. Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler have adapted the story in a way that conveys movement, emotional and physical, on a single stage set.
Nottingham Playhouse’s touring production distils the complex story into two one-hour acts. Much of the dialogue relates directly to the book but changes in place are much easier to establish on the page. It would be easy to underestimate the set design by Ruby Pugh, the same set representing interior and exterior locations in Syria, Turkey, Greece and the UK. The desert sands are omnipresent, a chair sinks into a sandbank, whilst a bed transforms into a boat and truck.
Nuri, played by Alfred Clay, has forsaken his family’s textile shop to become a beekeeper. He loves the bees, and his family. War leads to the destruction of the bee hives and his son’s death. His wife, Afra, played by Roxy Faridany, has been blinded during a bomb blast. The pair live in a limbo of desolation until the arrival of militia in their Aleppo home convinces them that they must flee the country in order to save their lives, and their relationship.
Nuri’s love of bees has been engendered by his cousin Mustafa, played by Joseph Long (feature photograph). An academic in Damascus, he has built a business and teaching career around bees. For him bees form a perfect community. He is quick to note the growing tensions in society and sends his wife and daughter to the UK. When the hives are destroyed and his son is killed, he joins them, settling in Yorkshire.
The character of Mustafa was based upon a real-life beekeeper. Dr Ryad Alsous, former professor of agriculture at Damascus University. The production in Leeds had added poignancy because of his presence, watching the play and selling honey and honeycomb in the theatre lobby. Dr Alsous leads the Buzz Project at Standedge Tunnel Visitor Centre. He uses his skills to teach beekeeping to local refugees and job seekers, enabling them to find a place and purpose in the community. The Buzz Project will be talking about their work and selling honey at every performance in Leeds.
Nuri and Afra’s journey is one of further trauma as they meet violence, danger, suspicion and bureaucracy. The distance between them grows as each tries to deal with this trauma in different ways. The play is a timely reminder of the horrors that lead people to flee their countries, and the trauma that they are unable to leave behind.
The themes are enhanced by the score and the use of video. Compositions by Elaha Soroor draw upon traditional Arabic music, reminding us of the life they have lost, wherever the couple find themselves. Projected images bring both the reality of death and destruction and the calm of pastoral scenes. Video is used to add depth of detail, location and reference to the wider world. Sometimes it adds physical backdrop but at others the backdrop is social; extracts from a media that encourages racism and understates the challenges faced by refugees. Plus, video allows the bees to be part of the action.
The bee has become a symbol of hope in many ways. It is fitting that Dr Alsous sourced his British bees form Manchester, a city where the bee became a symbol of hope after the 2017 stadium bombing. As insects become increasingly threatened, many of us are aware of the need to protect bees. This is a personal story of how bees can provide hope; a hope that the couple can rebuild their lives and relationship, but also that one day people can live in societies where we work together for the common good.
Other cast members: Aram Mardourian (Nadim, Fotakis, Ali), Daphne Kouma (Dr Faruk, Daham, Immigration Officer #2), Elham Mahyoub (Mohammed, Sami), Fanos Xendos (NGO Worker Neil).
The Beekeeper of Aleppo, directed by Miranda Cromwell, is at the Quarry Theatre, Leeds Playhouse until 3 June.
All photography by Manuel Harlan.
