At one point in The Bone Sparrow, the main character Subhi says that “it’s important what story we choose to tell.” The Bone Sparrow itself is a vitally important story, portraying the experiences of refugees while dealing with issues of injustice, desperation and voicelessness. Along the way, it shows the value of imagination, and the way that storytelling can hold power, and connect people across cultures and generations. 

Based on Zana Fraillon’s young adult novel of the same name, The Bone Sparrow centres on Subhi, a young Rohingya boy who was born in an Australian immigration detention facility after his mother and sister fled persecution in their homeland. One night, he meets Jimmie, a girl from the other side of the fence. Unable to read, she asks Subhi to help her decipher a notebook full of stories from her late mother and they develop a risky friendship.

This production from Pilot Theatre is ably directed by Esther Richardson and is beautifully staged. Miriam Nabarro’s sparse sets allow the bleak emptiness of the refugee centre, made up almost entirely of dirt and fences, to contrast wonderfully with Daniel Denton’s video projections showing Subhi’s drawings and vivid imagination. Together they give a real sense of Subhi’s longing for a bigger world. The stories from Jimmie’s notebook are also brought to life cleverly, with one particular puppetry scene drawing gasps of horror from the audience.

The ensemble cast are excellent. Yaamin Chowdhury embues Subhi with a childlike wonder and a painful confusion as to why things are the way they are. Siobhan Athwal gives an angry, passionate performance as his older sister Queenie, who’s trying to get photos of the camp conditions to journalists outside, despite the risks from violent guards, and Elmi Rashid Elmi is charming as her co-conspirator and Subhi’s older friend, Eli. Mary Roubos is a bright spot of light and humour as Jimmie.

S. Shakthidharan’s adaptation follows the novel closely, including everything from Subhi’s dreams of the Night Sea to his imaginary talking rubber duck. This will please fans of the book, but it means that the play runs slightly too long and the storytelling isn’t always clear. It could benefit from being cut down and streamlined, particularly Act 1 which takes a while to draw the audience in. Thankfully, Act 2 is considerably stronger and while the play doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights of the novel, it’s still powerful, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful.

Fraillon says that she wrote The Bone Sparrow so that “we remember the people behind the statistics”, and the play does a great job of this. With the current plight of Ukrainian refugees, and the controversial Nationality and Borders bill passing through UK Parliament, a story like The Bone Sparrow seems particularly timely. Ultimately, this is an inventive production of a moving and inspiring story, and hopefully it will open up many conversations.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Laura Lott

The Bone Sparrow plays at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until 26 March, with tickets available here.