Yvonne Arnaud – until 1st July 2023
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
5*****
The collaboration between playwrights Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler and the author Christy Lefteri, is clearly evident in this poignant play. Based on the lives of a family in war torn Syria, this is a story of humanity and the impact of lived experience on our relationships with one another. More importantly, our relationship with self.
Alfred Clay (Nuri) carries you with him through his journey right from the start with this powerful performance. You are taken on a roller coaster of emotion from contentment with family life in Aleppo through to displacement, grief and broken minds in the UK. Roxy Faridany (Afra) plays Nuri’s wife and mother to their dead son Sami, providing context and insight along their journey. You can find humour in every dark situation in life, if you look for it. On this occasion it is provided by Elham Mahyoub (Mohammed/Sami), conjured up from the depths of Nuri’s broken mind. There is a strength in female solidarity portrayed by the connection Afra makes with Angeliki (Nadia Williams) a refugee from Somalia – another story of loss, another broken mind. Nuri’s cousin played by Joseph Long (Mustafa) gives hope and light to the piece, a calm, loving warmth carried in the tone of his voice.
The clever staging and effects catch your eye as soon as you walk in. The set turns from comfortable home to war torn Aleppo, a small boat at sea and several refugee camps – no mean feat!
In all of this, the human condition is seen to have more strength and endurance than we can ever imagine in our relatively safe and protected lives in the UK. Through the play you see that the minds coping mechanisms and how they manifest are individual to each person.
This play is compulsory viewing for anyone who has forgotten that every asylum seeker is a person, everyone with a story you wouldn’t want to have lived.