The Beekeeper of Aleppo – The Lowry

Christy Lefteri’s 2019 bestselling novel was inspired by her work over two summers at a refugee centre in Athens. She felt that no one would tell their story, so she decided to humanise the tale of the asylum seeker and created a heart-breaking tale of love and loss.

In a world where politicians implore people to “Stop the Boats” this dramatization brings to life the fractured life of the refugee in those dinghies. It tells the story of Nuri and Afra who have to flee the bombed-out city of Aleppo in Syria. He, along with his cousin Mustafa, was a beekeeper living in harmony with nature until the civil war tore everything apart.

The story is told in a fragmentary way on an ingenious set which enables the action to move effortlessly from scene to scene. We are taken backwards and forwards in time as well as from location to location as Nuri tries to build a new life. His wife has gone blind and he is trying to keep himself together.

He is trying to do this in the face of hostility from the authorities and whilst facing the petty bureaucrats who hide behind the line of “Computer says no”. His relationship with his wife has been cracked and his spirit crushed by all he has had to go through to join his cousin in the UK. If only the world was one big happy community like a beehive.

It is a very moving play, and you can’t help but be affected by their story. Yet there was something slightly simplistic about the way the narrative is trying to deal with a very complex issue. They are good people surrounded by evil, but it is perhaps a bit naïve to believe that this problem will be solved simply by everyone being nicer to each other.

The most shocking part of the show is when we see the images of the real Aleppo. We are shown the sheer devastation of a city that has been more or less demolished by bombs. This is no natural disaster, like the recent earthquake in the country, but a man-made horror.

Alfred Clay gave a passionate performance as Nuri. He was tender and warm, but he was also able to show how the character is slowly falling apart in the same way his home city has been shredded. It was a touching and heart-warming portrayal.

Roxy Faridany was more solemn and measured as Afra. She was slightly deliberate and a tad diffident in the way she came across. She was able to show that although the character was broken in so many ways underneath there was a deep well of resilience as Afra was determined to reconnect with her husband.

The humanity of the piece was embodied in Joseph Long’s performance as Mustafa. This was a flesh and blood human being who despite it all was not going to let the savagery and heartlessness of the world stop him from being true to himself and to nature. He is the moral centre of the play and demonstrates the insight and empathy it is asking for people to show in relation to this issue.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo continues at the Lowry until Saturday 22 April. It continues on tour and for more information go to www.ukproductions.co.uk/theatre-productions/the-beekeeper-of-aleppo/

Reviewer: Adam Williams

Reviewed: 18th April 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★