Theatre Review: The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Theatre Royal Bath
A rocky and sandy set with a partially wrecked Syrian home as a backdrop with household furniture embedded in the rocks to symbolise the smashed lives of the residents of Aleppo greets the audience. A bold and stunning production charting the horrors of war and its victims. But despite the trauma of the unfolding story there is always a chance of new beginnings. As the line goes: “Where there are bees there are flowers, and wherever there are flowers there is new life and hope.”
There is much symbolism in The Beekeeper of Aleppo as ordinary people are forced to live extraordinary lives because of the decade long Syrian civil war. In this adaption of Christy Lefteri’s novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler the staging concentrates on the emotions, the post traumatic disorder and the relationship of the central characters husband and wife Nuri and Afra.
The stage play of the 2019 novel follows the book’s narrative with flashbacks, dreams and above all the psychological insights into the damaged lives of the characters. It best translates to the stage with the second half of the drama adopting more of a traditional narrative structure as it heads towards a denouement. And it grips where the director Anthony Almeida created the terrors of the sea journey with evocative sounds and stunning projections of waves across the set. The projections coupled with sound leave a lasting impression – briefly immersing the audience in a three-dimensional world of nature, of war and of survival. It’s not an easy watch and the near full house were held in a respectful silence throughout. It’s an insight into the plight of refugees and the way society, Government and officialdom tend to look the other way.
Adam Sina as Nuri – the titular beekeeper of Aleppo – gives an emotionally charged portrayal of a man conflicted by so many emotions as he struggles to survive in a nightmarish world – so at odds to the idealism of his life before the war. His tortured wife Afra played by Farah Saffari is a brooding presence throughout – only coming to life in the final sequences – but due to her introverted character her dialogue was often hard to catch. In a way the misery of the duo’s journey is saved by the forever optimistic Moroccan Man (Joseph Long) whose undeniably upbeat persona with his comical embracing of English life – tea with milk, donning a Union Jack t-shirt – and calling everyone ‘Geezer’ – shows how a different personality overcomes the tragic loss of his own family. And Joseph Long doubled as the story’s anchor Mustafa who beckons Nuri to leave Syria and begin a new life with him as beekeepers in Yorkshire.
As in the novel Angelika (Princess Khumal) makes an impact with her horrific story of child abduction and Aram Mardourian as the swaggering human smuggler Fotakis provided the evils of how criminals prey on the weak. Donah Atallah gave life to the two boys Sami and Mohammed while Alia Lahlou had several wardrobe changes as an suspicious immigration officer, Dr Faruk in her white coat and Dahab. Mohsen Ghaffari and Helena Massoud completed the ensemble cast although due to the complexities of the original novel some characters and events are understandably left out.
This is not theatre for those wishing for a grand story with stand out set pieces, songs or even an explanation of the Syrian civil war – but in its own way a story of hope and the triumph of the human spirit. And now that the war in Aleppo is largely at an end and some are returning to their home country perhaps a new chapter is opening for that troubled land. As Mustafa says: “Where there are bees there are flowers, and wherever there are flowers there is new life and hope.”
Harry Mottram
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is at the Theatre Royal Bath until Saturday April 4th, 2026. For tickets and more information visit https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/events/the-beekeeper-of-aleppo/ or call the box office on 01225 448844. Runs: Tuesday – Saturday 7.30pm. Matinee Weds & Sat 2.30pm. Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a UK Production in association with Nottingham Playhouse.
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