"A Thousand Splendid Suns" By Ursula Rani Sarma. Based on a novel by  Khaled Hosseini.

Nottingham Playhouse.

Eleven years ago I saw "The Kite Runner" at the Nottingham playhouse and was blown away by the beauty of that story, so much so that afterwards I sought out the book, written by Khaled Hosseini, bought it and read it. This is the sequel.

Like "The Kite Runner", "A Thousand Splendid Suns" deals with the experiences of individuals under the Taliban and the rich history of Afghanistan. It tells the story of two women, Laila and Mariam, who both end up marrying the same man, Rasheed, after Laila is orphaned and finds herself with nowhere to go.  

Her neighbour, Rasheed is quick to come to her aid, pulls her from the wreckage of her home and opens his door to her. He is married already to Mariam and soon takes Laila as his second wife. Mariam has no choice but to accept her younger, and now pregnant, rival. As the Taliban take over, life for all of them becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, and the two women find themselves unlikely allies.

Rina Fatania plays Mariam.  Hosseini describes Mariam as "isolated in every sense of the word. She is a woman who is detached from the day-to-day norms of human existence. Really, she just wants a connection with another human being". There's a scene in the second act that brings to light the horror for women, who are classed as second class citizens, as she is beaten within an inch of her life for helping Laila.

Kerena Jagpal plays Laila. Compared to Mariam, Hosseini noted, she "had a much more fulfilling relationship with her father, her girlfriends and her childhood friend, Tariq. She expected to finish school and is looking for personal fulfillment. These are two very different representations of women". Well, that's all until Rasheed decides that he is going to become the centre of her universe, and woe betide Laila if she does not fall into line with what Rasheed tells her to do. There's an horrific scene, again in the second act, where Laila is about to give birth to her second child, Zalmai, by Cesarian section, but without any painkillers, as they are reserved for the men's hospital.

Jonas Khan plays Rasheed, who is deeply misogynistic, often subjecting his wives and "daughter" Aziza to frequent physical, mental and emotional abuse. In spite of his behaviour toward women, Rasheed shows real love toward his son Zalmai, on whom he dotes. Rasheed is one evil person who uses fear to control, and you really feel an intense dislike for the man. This of course is testament to Jonas' acting skills to make you feel hatred for the character he plays. 

Jonny Khan plays Tariq, Wakil and Driver. Tariq suffers many tragedies in his life including the loss of his parents and spending time in prison after being set up. Tariq is the complete opposite of Rasheed and offers a lifeline to Laila and her family, and we do get a happy ending.... of sorts.

Noah Manzoor plays Zalmai, the legitimate son of Laila and Rasheed. Zalmai is a mix of the old and the new Afghanistan male. He has been, almost brainwashed in the way that men treat women by his father, but he also has the softer influences from his mother and Mariam, as well as external influences. He is a more romantic person, being influenced by films like "Titanic" and the character of Jack from the film.

Peyvand Sadeghian plays Nana, Fariba and Doctor. Nana's life trajectory greatly changes after "the jinn enters her body" shortly before marriage, causing her to have a seizure. This leaves her unmarriageable, and she eventually becomes a house servant for Jalil. She has an affair with Jalil, leading to the birth of her daughter Mariam. The scandal of the affair brings dishonour upon Jalil's wives and legitimate children, causing him to remove Nana and Mariam from his household and relocate them.

Fariba is Laila's mother. She is a cheerful character who briefly meets Mariam when she first arrives in Kabul. This cheerfulness changes quickly after her two sons, Ahmad and Noor, leave their home to fight and are later killed in the Afghan-Soviet war.

Tahir Shah plays Jalil, Abdul Sharif, Interrogator and Militia Man. Jalil has three wives and nine (later ten) legitimate children, in addition to Mariam. His actions indirectly cause Mariam to lose her mother, and his decision to send Mariam away creates a permanent division between the two that is never resolved.

Humera Syed plays Young Mariam and Aziza. Aziza is sent away by her mother, mainly to make sure that she is safe and away from the anger and hate from Rasheed, as well as getting a covert education, as girls and women were forbidden to receive an education, as well as just about everything else including singing, dancing and reading books. Aziza is spirited, but she's not daft, and knows that her being sent away to this place is not for the reasons that Laila and Mariam are telling her.

David Ahmed plays a variety of roles including Babi, Mullah Faizullah Zaman and Militiaman.

Directed by Roxana Silbert. Roxana brings the power, the horror and fear to the stage. I was quite shocked by several of the scenes, especially the violence dealt out by Rasheed to his wives. It also presents a really beautiful picture of friendship and having each other's back.

Set Designer is Simon Kenny. The whole of the back of the stage is like one of those giant Asian carpets, apart from a part which lets in the skyline and the world outside, allowing the audience to see the flashes caused by the explosions. This "carpet" also includes secret portals which allow the actors to appear swiftly for the "flashback" scenes.

Matt Haskins' lighting design manages to bring the horrors of war to life with the explosions in the first act.

The sound design is by Clive Meldrum and you quite get the feeling that you are in the middle of the scenes that the play presents by the soundscape.

The original music has been composed for this play by Elaha Soroor, whose voice you can also hear singing, and is incredibly atmospheric as well as very soothing.

The Co-Composer and Arranger of the music is Giuliano Modarelli, who's also the guitarist.  The accordion is played by Josh Middleton.

Musical inspiration drawn from Afghanistan’s 1970s musical heritage, including works by Ahmad Zahir and Abdul Rahim Sarban.

This is one of the most powerful pieces of theatre that I've seen, and I've seen some brilliant productions just recently, and in contrast it's also one of the most beautiful pieces of theatre.

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 24 May.