A proud mother watches her young daughter delight in showing off her reading skills – but sadly, she is reading decrees on the banning of singing, dancing, playing games, watching TV, keeping budgies (!) and much more …
The terrible decrees of the Taliban and the harsh punishments handed down to those who breeched them were undoubtedly hard for all. But the women had it considerably worse – enslaved, beaten and refused work or schooling. So much as a painted fingernail cost them a finger.
As in the novel, women are at the heart of this play, adapted by Ursula Rani Sarma from Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling novel and produced by Northern Stage and Birmingham Repertory Theatre in association with Nuffield Southampton Theatres.
It may sound grim, but rather than evoking pity and alienating its audience, the drama focuses on the women’s courage, determination, love, compassion and strength. And the acting of the nine-strong cast is superb.
Pal Aron – who you may recognise as Coronation Street’s Sonny Dhillon – plays Rasheed, an older man who becomes ever more cruel.
Sujaya Dasgupta is young Laila he takes as his second wife and Amina Zia is his, understandably upset, first wife Mariam. In fact, her expression as she realises what is happening is worth the ticket price alone!
The desert-like set covers four levels and mezzanines with uneven steps between them. When, inevitably, the women of the cast are forced to wear face-and-body-covering burqas, I feared for their safety.
It was strange too, to see their expressive faces disappear behind curtains of fabric at some of the most dramatic moments of the play.
I loved the injections of Farsi words like Laila-Jo, to show affection and the script rings true as the story is enacted rather than told, as in the recent adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner which came to the Theatre Royal , Newcastle .
Director Roxana Silbert’s use of artful disappearances of members of the cast as time is traversed and slow-motion at pivotal moments worked beautifully.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is both an emotional family drama and a real education. And you get a real jolt when contemporary references make you realise what was happening so very recently – and for some women, even now.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is at Northern Stage until Saturday, June 15. See www.northernstage.co.uk for tickets.
