Adapted by Leyla Nazli from Ece Temelkuran’s novel and directed by Lerzan Pamir, Women Who Blow on Knots follows the journey of four remarkable women on a road trip from Tunisia, through Libya and Egypt, to Lebanon.
Eve (Gamze Şanlı), Maryam (Livia Arditti), and Amira (Antonia Salib) find themselves momentarily freed from the burden of their pasts as they watch, whisky in hand, a wedding spectacle unfolding in front of their eyes. They laugh together as they exchange stories and find comfort in their shared experiences. The night offers them sanctuary, a space where, as one character reflects, “Tunisia is the perfect place to be forgotten.”
The trio form an unlikely friendship with Madame Lilla (Nicole Ansari-Cox), a mysterious older woman who invites them to her home for a decadent dinner. As the women feast on mint-infused turkey and rice cooked in tangerine juice, they slowly begin to peel away the layers of their carefully guarded selves.
Eve, a Turkish journalist who has lost her job, finds herself in Tunisia with aspirations to write a book about the Arab Spring. She guards her past with quiet intensity, revealing little about herself to those around her, yet it is clear that she is searching for something — a new beginning, or perhaps simply an escape from her past.
Maryam, an Egyptian political activist and professor is drawn to Tunisia by a desire to learn more about the legendary Queen Dido of Carthage. On the surface, she presents a strong, independent persona, yet beneath her shaved head and confident exterior lies the weight of a dark secret. Much like the Phoenician queen, Maryam feels the crushing burden of being a woman in a male-dominated world, doomed to face failure and betrayal.
Amira, a Tunisian woman whose life seems to cut from scene to scene as if it were a theatre production, has lived several lives, embodying a different role in each one. Once an online activist who played a significant role in organising demonstrations during the Arab Spring, she now spends her days posing as a tourist attraction for tourists at the hammam. But her lifelong dream is to open her own dance school.
As the dinner party unfolds, Madame Lilla presents Amira with an irresistible offer: the dance school she has long dreamed of, in exchange for the road trip of a lifetime.
At first, the women are quick to reject the proposal, wary of its implications. But by the next scene, everything changes.
With their lives now upended and with nowhere to return to, they find themselves reconsidering the impossible bargain. Suddenly the idea of a journey, however uncertain, seems like the perfect escape. And so, without fully understanding why, four relative strangers set off together, bound by a shared sense of urgency and unspoken solidarity.
Neil Irish’s innovative set design brings the adventure to life through dynamic movement and a creative use of space. As the women drive south with Madame Lilla at the wheel, the circular stage rotates, allowing them to travel vast distances without ever leaving the stage.
Later, ordinary bar stools are cleverly repurposed to represent camels. Though this seems comical at first, Richard Williamson‘s lighting and Oğuz Kaplangi‘s sound design make the audience feel as though they are riding across the desert alongside the four women.
At each stop along their journey, the women encounter a new character from Madame Lilla’s mysterious past, each one offering a glimpse into a life full of tragedy and secrets. As the layers of her history slowly unfold, both the women and the audience alike find themselves trying to piece together the missing chapters of Lilla’s life.
These characters are brought to life by the exceptionally versatile ensemble cast (Mercedes Assad, Öncel Camcı, Sara Diab) whose performances bring colour and complexity to the smaller narratives. While some of these stories remain underdeveloped, they serve to reinforce the broader political themes of the play and offer poignant reflections on female friendship and the shared bonds that tie women together irrespective of time and place.
As the adventure reaches its climax, the women make their final stop at the House of Dido, where long-hidden truths are revealed. In a powerful and unforgettable performance, Ansari-Cox portrays Madame Lilla’s raw emotional revelation – that their journey has been leading her to kill the man who destroyed her life. It’s a moment of intense personal reckoning, magnificently delivered.
The House of Dido also becomes a space for Maryam’s confession, as she shares the heartbreaking secret of the newborn daughter she has left behind in Lebanon. This moment deepens the emotional stakes of the journey and brings the women closer together.
While Madame Lilla does not quite achieve the revenge she sought, she comes away with something far more profound – a sense of solidarity, healing and self-discovery.
Back in Tunisia, the women celebrate their unbreakable bond; Maryam is reunited with her child, and Amira opens her dance school.
In reflecting on the play’s message, Temelkuran offered a simple yet powerful sentiment: “There will be women holding you when you fall, and it will be only women.” This resonates throughout the production, as what begins as a journey of distrust and resentment gradually transforms into a testament to the strength of female friendship and solidarity.
The backdrop of the Arab Spring is integral to Women Who Blow on Knots. As the women travel through a region in political turmoil, their individual struggles reflect the broader impact of the Arab Spring — a time of both hope and disillusionment.
But at its heart, the play is not so much about political divides, but about the universal, enduring power of sisterhood and motherhood in the face of adversity.
[Kate Hockenhull photography]
In a world defined by moral and political confusion, it’s these women’s stories — stories of resilience, compassion, and unwavering support — that emerge as the play’s most powerful message.
As Temelkuran puts it, “Today, we need more women’s stories to prevail over the moral and political confusion. This is how we can know how to accommodate these inhumane times as humans and as humanely as possible.”
And it is these stories, told with love and courage, that linger long after the curtain falls.
Women Who Blow on Knots is on at Arcola Theatre until 23 November.
For tickets and information head to: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/women-who-blow-on-knots-2/
Arcola Theatre opened in 2000 to provide a space for emerging artists to grow and explore. It has been producing international and political theatre ever since.
Lydia Doye is a freelance writer with a particular interest in arts and culture from the Middle East and North Africa
Follow her on X: @LDoye_Journo
