One of the best-loved and most highly acclaimed novels of our time, THE KITE RUNNER is a powerful play of friendship that follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither of the boys can foresee the incident which will change their lives forever. Told across two decades and two continents, THE KITE RUNNER is an unforgettable journey of redemption and forgiveness, and shows us all that we can be good again.
I was surprised but not disappointed. This piece, it turns out, is quite modest, but I found that modesty — the focus on the central character’s interior journey, the clarity of the relationships, the novel’s language, the spare rather than the spectacular — to have its own beguiling charms.
The Kite Runner is a masterclass in storytelling, gripping the audience with every single word. A perfect balance of pacing, humor, and tragedy, you do not feel the show’s length at any moment. In the rare instance where the second act is longer than the first, such as with this production, you run the risk of the audience getting antsy. This script never lends itself to allowing the audience to turn away or fidget, being absolutely hooked into every moment. In terms of how strong the adaptation itself was, I’m afraid I cannot speak to it as I have never read the novel. Though, this has absolutely put it on my immediate list to buy, so I can only imagine how much more to this story there could be from an already heavily packed script.
2017 | West End |
West End Transfer West End |
2017 | West End |
2017 West End Transfer West End |
2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2024 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
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