A Thousand Splendid Suns - Review

★★★★☆

Based on Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns delivers a powerful and emotionally charged performance at Nottingham Playhouse. Set over three decades of political turmoil in Kabul, the play explores the intertwined lives of Mariam and Laila, two women brought together by circumstance and bound by an unbreakable bond. This production is a testament to the enduring strength of female friendship amidst adversity. 

Photographer Credit: Ellie Kurttz

Directed by Roxana Silbert and adapted by Ursula Rani Sarma, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a heart-wrenching drama that follows two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, forced into a shared marriage with an abusive husband. The two women form an unlikely but unbreakable bond that becomes their source of strength and survival. Through war, loss, and repression, their story becomes one of resilience, sacrifice, and hope, offering a deeply human perspective on the impact of conflict.

Rina Fatania’s portrayal of Mariam is both solid and engrossing. She captures the character’s journey from a life of hardship to one of quiet strength with brutal honesty. Kerena Jagpal’s Laila complements this with a performance that evolves from youthful optimism to determined resilience. While Jagpal takes a moment to find her rhythm, once she does, her portrayal becomes a driving force of the narrative, embodying a strong-minded and strong-willed character who propels the story forward.

Photographer Credit: Ellie Kurttz

Jonas Khan’s Rasheed is convincingly unlikable, embodying the oppressive force in the women's lives. However, the character's development occasionally lacks nuance, presenting Rasheed more as a one-dimensional antagonist than a complex figure shaped by his environment. While the story portrays him moving from a calculated manipulator to a failure, overthrown by the women he once overpowered, something is missing from the enactment of this arc to bring it home.

Jonny Khan is a joy to watch. As Tariq, he radiates warmth and an effortless charm that makes his scenes feel like a breath of fresh air. Khan commands attention, not through force, but with a charisma that instantly wins over the audience. His chemistry with Laila feels genuine and deeply rooted, and their relationship becomes the emotional heart of the play. Without his tender presence and likability, the story’s final act wouldn’t land nearly as powerfully. Khan’s Tariq brings hope and the possibility of a better life.

That same richness is reflected in Simon Kenny’s stunning set design. The stage is a visual feast, with tiered staging that resembles the mountains of Kabul, becoming a playground for the performers. The use of levels helps to signify shifts in power dynamics and locations, allowing the story to move fluidly through time and space. Every inch of the set is covered with traditional Afghan embroidery patterns, not only announcing the location of the play but also providing a visual texture that is both culturally specific and utterly captivating. 

Photographer Credit: Ellie Kurttz

David Ahmad brings a quiet strength to the role of Babi, delivering a natural and emotionally resonant performance. Ahmad portrays a father whose progressive ideals and gentle presence offer a rare sense of hope in an otherwise oppressive world. Though his stage time is limited, Ahmad leaves a lasting impression. Similarly, Noah Manzoor and Humera Syed, as Laila’s children Zalmai and Aziza, inject youthful warmth and energy into the story. Their playful innocence offers brief, necessary relief from the surrounding darkness, while also amplifying the tragedy of what is lost under Taliban rule. Their performances serve as a stark reminder of how conflict shapes and shatters childhood.

The production delves into relentlessly dark territory, with themes of abuse, coercion, and oppression dominating much of the runtime. At times, this sustained emotional intensity risks muting the full impact of how the Taliban’s rule devastates everyday life in Kabul. While there are flickers of levity, they are few and far between, and the audience is given little respite from the tragedy. That said, the emotional core of the production is anchored by Rina Fatania and Kerena Jagpal, whose portrayals of Mariam and Laila are deeply affecting. In their most vulnerable moments, both actors unleash raw, unfiltered emotion that commands the audience’s full attention, elevating the story’s most powerful scenes.

Unfortunately, the sound design in this production didn’t always feel cohesive with the onstage action. Explosions felt surprisingly muted and isolated, crying out for the impact needed to convey the widespread devastation they were meant to represent. One moment in particular stood out: following a murder, an oddly placed piece of background music played throughout the scene, inadvertently softening what should have been a harrowing and emotionally charged moment.

Photographer Credit: Ellie Kurttz

The first act lays the groundwork beautifully, gently guiding us through the characters’ histories and relationships. Director Roxana Silbert masterfully employs subtle physicality, such as a single spin or shift in posture, to signal flashbacks or time jumps, keeping the storytelling fluid without ever feeling forced. But it’s in act two that the production truly takes flight. The pace quickens, the stakes soar, and the emotional weight becomes almost overwhelming. Packed with tension, heartbreak, and hard-won moments of hope, the second half is utterly gripping—you find yourself leaning forward, barely blinking, and holding your breath as it races towards its final, devastating crescendo. And it’s here that all the earlier niggles fade into the background, swept away by the sheer power of the story.

A Thousand Splendid Suns at Nottingham Playhouse is a vital and unmissable piece of theatre. Urgent, moving, and beautifully performed, it tells a story of female resilience, love, and survival that resonates deeply today. With unforgettable performances and a visually rich production, it’s the kind of show that stays with you. This is not just a night at the theatre, it’s an experience that reminds us why stories like these matter.