Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written, THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO is one of those life affirming tales of tragedy, courage and love. More than anything however, it is a real testament to the triumph of the human spirit.
When the book came out in 2019 it was applauded by readers and critics alike and now the story is further brought to life in a new stage adaptation which gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff from this evening – the 28th.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Nuri, a beekeeper; and his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. On their terrifying journey, they must face the pain of their own unbearable loss alongside incredible danger. Above all, they must journey to find each other again.
As I mentioned already, the reaction to the story has been incredible with the likes of Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz saying…….
‘This is a novel of international significance. Courageous, provocative, haunting, it will open our eyes.’
Nottingham Playhouse, in association with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and UK Productions Ltd, have announced the full cast of the world premiere of the stage adaptation by NESRIN ALREFAAL and MATTHEW SPANGLER of gripping best selling novel by CHRISTY LETERI. This actually reunites the team that produced the international stage sensation, and quite frankly, brilliant The Kite Runner. This production opened at Nottingham Playhouse last month and is now on a national tour till early Summer.
Directed by Olivier Award winning MIRANDA CROMWELL (Death of a Salesman – Young Vic, Piccadilly Theatre and Broadway), the production will feature ALFRED CLAY (The Winters Tale, The Comedy of Errors – RSC) as Nuri, ROXY FARIDANY (This Is Going To Hurt – BBC, Magic Goes Wrong – West End) as Afra, JOSEPH LONG (Spiderman Far From Home – Marvel Studios, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – tour & West End) as Mustafa, ARAM MARADOURIAN (The Borrowers – Polka Theatre, The Night Of The Iguana – Ustinov Studio) as Nadim, Fotakis, Ali and other parts , DAPHNE KOUMA (Dirty Dancing – Secret Cinema, Offside – Pleasance Courtyard) as immigration officer, Dr Faruk, Dahab and other parts, NADIA WILLIAMS (The Darkest Part of The Night – Kiln Theatre, The Meaning of Zong – Bristol Old Vic) as Angeliki, Lucy Fisher and other parts, ELHAM MAHYOUB (The Visit – National Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Lazarus Theatre) as Mohammed and Sami and FANOS XENOFÓS (Margot, The Most Famous Ballerina In The World – King’s Head Theate, Don Quixote of Algiers – White Bear Theatre) – and LILY DEMIR (The Secret Love Life of Ophelia – Greenwich Theatre, Empty – Soho Theatre) – as swings.
This compassionate and beautiful play is a story of connection – between friends, families and strangers. Told beautifully by the actors on stage but also through the set itself.
Designed by RUBY PUGH, the set is like a story in itself – taking us from the relative comfort of home to bleakness of a war-torn country. As you can see in the trailer above the use of projections, music and full multimedia really enhances the storytelling creating an atmosphere which really brings Christy’s story to life.
The creative team have worked hard to make this a fully immersive experience, and from what we;ve seen already they really have achieved that. As well as Ruby there’s Lighting Designer Ben Ormerod, Sound Designer Tingying Dong, Film Designer Ravi Deepres, Composer Elaha Soroor, Casting Director Christopher Worrall, Voice and Dialect Coach Khaled Abunaama, Cultural Consultant Nesrin Alrefaai, Dramatherapist Nikki Disney, Associate Director Nadia Emam, Associate Film Designer Luke Unsworth and Video Programmer Edward Freeman.
THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff from tonight – Tuesday 28th March through to Saturday 1st April. Performances are at 7:30pm with a 2:30pm matinee on Wednesday and Saturday. The Saturday matinee performance also has audio description. Tickets range from £18 to £37 and you can get yours HERE.
