A Thousand Splendid Suns at Birmingham Rep – review

When Birmingham Rep first staged this bold adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel in 2019, women in Afghanistan were experiencing a freedom they hadn’t known for years. But, with the return of the Taliban and that regime’s harsh measures against females, the play feels even more prescient now.

Covering a sweep of more than 25 years, the production tells the story of two women married to the same man. Mariam is just 15 when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed, and then, nearly 20 years later, a second wife arrives in the form of 15-year-old Laila, after her home has been destroyed and her family killed.

Initially, the wives clash but, faced with cruelty from Rasheed and a society that deems this to be acceptable, the two forge an unlikely friendship. And as the grip of firstly the Mujahideen and then the Taliban tightens, the women learn that only through trusting each other can they survive.

Adapted by Ursula Rani Sarma, the production doesn’t flinch from showing us violence and injustice. There are scenes which are painful to watch – and even more agonising for knowing this is the daily experience of millions of women, and not just in Afghanistan.

Former Rep artistic director Roxana Silbert returns as director here, and she brings us a drama with plenty of heart. While the horror is being meted out, Silbert ensures the focus remains on the friendship between the two women and the powerful bonds of motherhood and love.

This new production has seen changes. Simon Kenny’s fresh set designs place all the action on a series of interlocking octagonal shapes decorated with carpet patterns. This allows sections of the story to be partitioned and emphasises the claustrophobia of the family being kept indoors. And a new score by Hazara composer and singer Elaha Soroor brings atmosphere and authenticity to the piece.

Kerena Jagpal is a Laila who begins the story as a young woman full of hope and defiance but, as the wheels grind against her, she gradually learns that joining forces gives you greater strength. There is plenty of humanity in Jagpal’s Laila – a loving mother and friend, she is willing to put herself at risk for others.

Rina Fatania’s Mariam is initially a ball of fury whose resentment fills the stage, and yet, little by little, she begins to understand that friendship has a greater impact than hate.

Jonas Khan’s Rasheed is a man who deludes himself that he is acting out of kindness when he takes in Laila, when in reality, it is more a question of lust than care. And when society strips him of his authority, his bitterness leads him to lash out at those physically weaker than himself. Khan’s Rasheed is without a doubt a hugely unpleasant man, but in some ways, he is missing that cold-as-steel ruthlessness that infuses the character in Hosseini’s novel.

Produced by Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse and Leeds Playhouse, A Thousand Splendid Suns remains an essential piece of modern theatre. Turning the spotlight on the personal experience of an ongoing news story, it hits us emotionally again and again. But the sun that ultimately shines through is the bond of female friendship, the love of mothers, and the light these can wield even in the darkest of nights.