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.
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.
When adapting any literary work for the stage, the creative team must ask what their iteration can accomplish on the stage that could not be achieved on the page. In this regard, Spangler’s script and Giles Croft’s direction succeed on several counts. This dramatized version of KITE RUNNER gives audiences a much more concrete sense of Afghan culture and how it connects a community forced from their homeland. One of the second act’s more moving tableaus comes during a nikah, the Islamic marriage ceremony that unites Amir and his fellow refugee Soraya (excellently played with sweetness and strength by Awesta Zarif). In fact, one of the benefits of adapting this story for the stage is that it creates a greater sense of intimacy between the characters and the audience, bringing them into a time and place that risks feeling fantastical within the limits of the novel. Standout scenes include when Hassan lies to Baba about a stolen watch as a means of protecting Amir, and Amir’s hesitant courtship of Soraya.
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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