Based on Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling book of the same name, 'The Kite Runner' recounts a story of attachment, redemption and remorse. I have read the book a number of times as I enjoyed it so much, so I was looking forward to the play with anticipation.
This production adapted by Mathew Spangler and directed by Giles Croft, recounts a poignant tale of friendship and spans cultures and continents; it follows one man’s journey to challenge his past and eventually obtain redemption. The story is set across the backdrop of Afghanistan and USA, starting in the 1970s. It is a powerful, touching tale which pulls at the heartstrings relaying events concerning protagonist Amir (Stuart Vincent), a wealthy Pashtun boy and his servant and best friend, Hassan (Yazdan Qafouri), a Hazra boy.
The play begins with conversations in Dari, the Persian language of Afghanistan, between the two young boys, innocently playing, naively firing imaginary guns at one another, a chilling vision of future events. Scenes portraying the boys playing are then cut short as they are confronted with tormentor Assef (Bhavin Bhatt), a bully, who intimidates the boys and later attacks Hassan with Amir covertly hiding, watching the savage assault but failing to intervene. This focuses the rest of the storyline, as Amir struggles with his guilt for the remainder of the play, finding a way to be ‘good again’.
The story spans three decades and transports the audience from the boys’ childhood into the Russian conquest of Afghanistan through to the Taliban rule of the country and their escape from their war-torn homeland.
Stuart Vincent has a heavy workload challenge on his shoulders with an immense amount of dialogue to perform as the narrator of the play, plus as an actor performing the part of leading character, Amir, and he carries it off excellently.
Both Vincent and Qafouri easily swap between the ages of their characters and effortlessly bring innocent childlike naivety to their roles which are both intense and utterly convincing. Qafouri later plays Amir’s half-brother’s child, Sohrab, convincingly portraying the sorrow of a child whose innocence has been stolen.
Additionally, Bhavin Bhatt is wicked as the bully, Assef, and even more ominous as a Taliban member, although his character is often unlikeable, he is constantly enthralling; whilst Dean Rehman (Baba), the stern father with an unflinching moral code, authentically conveys his love towards his son, Amir, whilst also wrestling with his own guilty feelings of past misdemeanours. The supporting cast are all excellent and perform their roles with a stranglehold on the often disturbing subject matter.
The set is minimal, the design (Barney George) depicts a backdrop of the railings and sky surrounding Amir’s lavish childhood home which converts into the high-rise buildings of San Francisco; during a number of scenes colourful kites fill the sky upon which Projection Designer, William Shipson’s vivid depictions are displayed. The ensemble help shift furniture and wooden crates which take the place of seating in many of the scenes.
Drew Baumhol’s sound design works well combined with the visuals, transporting the audience to Afghanistan with traditional music, which is then contrasted with the sounds and ambiance of 1980's America. Unexpected loud bangs are featured in a couple of scenes along with fireworks and gun shots.
This notwithstanding, at times this reviewer found difficulties in hearing a lot of the dialogue, especially when the actors turned their backs on the audience. At other times, the actors mics seemed to be on too low a setting and this reviewer would have enjoyed the production more had they been turned up a smidgen.
Entrancing live music in the form of an entertaining tabla performance prior to and throughout the production is provided by Hanif Khan; as enjoyable as it was, unfortunately, at times the sound of the tabla overpowered the actors' voices causing this reviewer to strain to hear relevant parts of the play.
'The Kite Runner' is a hard-hitting play which doesn’t shy away from gritty topics; it is a story that touches on a multitude of human emotions and relationships and is told beautifully and accurately; it touches on cycles of abuse, shame, and hope, shown throughout the two-act play where everything blends together to weave the authenticity of Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 novel. The theme of the play serves as a convincing prompt that whilst we all have cultural differences there are still the challenges and opportunities to understand each other, a theme which is fostered in the book and develops throughout this production.
It is admirably impressive that this epic story is covered in a two-hour long play, the story doesn’t disappoint and is an emotional merry-go-round; it is an unforgettable theatre production and undoubtedly a play worth seeing, especially in the political climate of today, as unfortunately, war endures in numerous countries across the world.
The Kite Runner is on a UK tour until 6th July 2024.
Recommended age 13+
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