A Thousand Splendid Suns

Reviewed by Amber at Nottingham Playhouse

Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review.
 
‘One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.’
 

Photo by Ellie Kurttz.

When a tragic event leaves 15-year-old Laila orphaned and injured, she must do what it takes to survive an Afghanistan in the throes of political turmoil. Khaled Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, filled with love, pain and the beauty of enduring is carefully adapted by Ursula Rani Sarma for the stage, bringing to life Kabul and the home we see Laila confined to for many years of her life.

Kerena Jagpal plays Laila with charm, seamlessly switching between harrowing moments of loss and joyous displays of youth without losing an inch of passion in her acting. It must be an emotionally exhausting role to play and Kerena makes a stellar show of bringing us into Laila’s world. 

Playing across from Kerena as the long-suffering Mariam is Rina Fatania, who again takes on a mountain of grief and emotional extreme to bring to life a woman long-since resigned to her life of marriage to the stern and imposing Rasheed (Jonas Khan). Much of the show contains just these three actors, working their craft together to create scenes of terror, hope and suspense.
The rest of the cast, all playing a multitude of parts to bring the world of war-torn Kabul to life, weave from character to character perfectly. Jonny Khan as Tariq, Laila’s childhood friend, is particularly charming and has a lovely, soft chemistry again Kerena’s Laila. David Ahmed role as Babi, Laila’s poetry-loving father, is short yet incredibly impactful as a man mourning his country. His impact on the stage is so strong tears threatened to spill. 

Aiding in the cast’s superb performances is the gorgeous set and costume design by Simon Kenny, bringing to the forefront the women of the story by covering the set in carpet tapestry. Even in a society suppressing the rights of women, their contributions will always been seen and recognised, much like how Laila and Mariam’s stories still get told despite their confinement to their husband’s home. 

Photo by Ellie Kurttz.

The music by Elaha Soroor and Giuliano Modarelli is effective in transitioning us between scenes and crafting the tone for these set moments in Laila and Mariam’s lives. It’s beautifully scored and works to blanket the show in a tragic but hopeful atmosphere.

The story told in A Thousand Splendid Suns is brutal and confronting and vital in its need to be told. It is upsetting and doesn’t hold back on defending its need to upset its audience; it’s a story of real-life devastation and suppression of women. The story clearly marks the downwards trajectory of women’s rights as Afghanistan moves from Soviet to the Mujahideen to Taliban control, as we see the lives of two women directly affected by the public exclusion of women. 

It’s a harrowing tale that needs to be told, especially since mainstream media spend little time covering what is happening in the currently Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 
A Thousand Splendid Suns is currently playing at Nottingham Playhouse until Sat 24th May before continuing to tour the UK. Tickets are available here: https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/a-thousand-splendid-suns

Photo by Ellie Kurttz.