‘I was scared of the bees at first, but now, they make me feel alive. They are like a society in complete harmony with itself. Not like people at all, but maybe what people have the potential to be.’
The Beekeeper of Aleppo was developed from the book of the same name – written by Christy Lefteri.
It follows Nuri (our beekeeper in question) and his wife Afra, as their peaceful lives in Aleppo, Syria are uprooted by war and violence, and allows us into their journey as refugees. From Syria to Turkey, Greece to the United Kingdom – Nuri and Afra’s interactions and experiences of their new reality show both the individual and shared trauma and suffering of refugees from all over the globe.
Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler adapted the book for the stage, and the production toured the UK, from February to July of 2023.
Now I'd like to clarify again that I WROTE MOST OF THESE POSTS BEFORE THE WORLD WENT FROM SHIT TO AWFUL AND BACK AGAIN.
Nevertheless... let's talk about this emotionally charged, heart-breaking tale of war and loss and trying to find refuge in a increasingly hostile world.
Not relevant at all.
Mum and I attended the matinee performance on Saturday 24th June 2023, as an audio description show was being offered. We also took advantage of our 2022 discovery – The Theatre Royal Touch Tours.
Holy pepper spray Batman! These things are the best.
Open to anyone (I think — don’t quote me and I accept no legal liability) you show up an hour early to the theatre and then are given essentially a backstage tour. Obviously, it was initiated with disabled feckers like me and mum in mind – mum gets to handle props and see aspects of the set up close that she would never be able to see from the audience and the audio ladies don’t have time to describe, and I…
I get to take advantage of my mother's and my own disabilities and geek out like the good little theatre nut I am.
This time around, it was only me and mum on the tour. Since then we've been on Touch Tours that were absolutely packed - seriously - I have tripped over more canes in that theatre than anywhere else in my life. But because this time it was just me and mum, the production manager was able to both show us all those smaller details and explain the construction of those parts and give a little context to their significance to the story. He was great, honestly, super patient as well when we inevitably had a hundred and twelve questions.
AND THEN –
I’d had a lil’ teeny snoop at the cast list when I originally booked the tickets.
I’m a drama dweeb as previously mentioned
And
I’m incurably nosey.
One face in particular jumped out at me.
This man right here is an actor named Joseph Long.
He’s appeared in everything from Eastenders to Spiderman, Silent Witness to Murder on the Orient Express, and about a hundred other credits in between.
The one that I know him from however, AND, that proceeded to make me act like a meerkat during the tour was - of course - Doctor Who.
Mr Long’s most prominent Whoniverse credit was when he played Rocco Colasanto in the 2008 episode ‘Turn Left’ alongside Cathrine Tate and the late GREAT Bernard Cribbins. For those of you who are not as nerd-like as me, he was the larger than life Italian grandfather, who Donna Noble and her family are housed with after the alternate destruction of London. We last see him embracing his family as they are carted away to labour camps in trucks, the decision having been made that ‘England must be for the English.’
Please bare that in mind -
ANYWHOOOOO…
So, we’re stood in the middle of the set, being shown all the handy little tunnels and trapdoors the cast used to get about, when I suddenly squeaked like a sickly mouse.
The stage manager was duly concerned.
My mother was appropriately exasperated.
For who had walked into the wings, mere feet from us? Why, Mr Joseph Long, of course – pay attention!
And then the stage manager flagged down Mr Long who would proceed to spend 20 minutes answering any and all questions I had, and also enduring my general Doctor-Who-Based gushing.
He’s a genuinely nice man, as well as being both naturally talented and dedicated to his craft.
Can you feel the nerd-joy I'm experiencing above?
Now for the show itself.
It’s a tough watch – the cast are exceptional, the staging, set and performances were fabulous – but go back and read what this book/play is about.
It’s a tough watch. A sad watch. But a beautiful one. When sad things are beautiful, it doesn’t necessarily make them easier, but it helps you see more, I think.
Alfred Clay and Roxy Faridany stood out with stellar performances as the main couple Nuri and Afra, and you know I can sing Joseph Long’s praises all day – but the whole cast, almost all of whom multi-role (play multiple characters) throughout the production help bring to life this very beautiful, sad story.
Also, each and every one of them were a delight offstage as well. After reuniting with Joseph Long at the stage door after the matinee’s completion, myself and mum were then joined by at least 7 out of the 9 cast members. They were all super kind, and more than happy to discuss the show, the specific performance that day, the tour as a whole and what may come next for each of them.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo was relevant before and after it was written and not just in regard to Syria. Both the book and play were/are just as relevant then/now with the awful volume of conflicts creating refugees and displaced persons around the world. When people fight people, other people always get hurt.
Palestine.
Ukraine.
Syria.
Congo.
Sudan.
I’m given to wonder if there are enough proverbial beekeepers in the world to curate that ‘complete harmony’ Nuri talks about in this play. Enough honey to sweeten the bitter taste that war leaves.
Time shall tell – but it’s generally accepted that there are currently around 5,000 years of recorded human history.
The first recorded war? 4,700 years ago.
Life, vulnerability, and hope. That is what Nuri’s bees are supposed to represent and there are approximately 3.5 trillion of them in our world today.
Almost 5,000 years of killing each other, versus nearly 4 trillion little buzzing creatures of life and hope.
I’m sticking with the Bees on this one.
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