Broadway Theater Review: The Kite Runner

 

(Front row) Danish Farooqui, Amir Arison, Joe Joseph, (back row) Faran Tahir, Evan Zes,Houshang Touzie and Dariush Kashani. Photo: Joan Marcus

The Kite Runner

Adapted by Matthew Spangler from the novel by Khaled Hosseini’s

Directed by Giles Croft
Helen Hayes Theatre

By Lauren Yarger
The Kite Runner, a haunting tale of one man's self journey of redemption, flies onto to the New York stage  after a successful run in London's West End. 

Matthew Spangler adapts Khaled Hosseini’s international best-seller about two boys who become friends despite being from two different social classes in war-torn Afghanistan and the long-term effects on their lives when one fails to honor that friendship.

Hassan (Eric Sirakian) is the son of Ali (Evan Zes), a servant to well-born Baba (an excellent Farah Tahir). Hassan and Baba's son, Amir  (Amir Arison), both motherless, find they have some things in common despite their class differences and become fast friends. Hassan becomes a kite runner -- the person who finds where a kite being flown in competitions lands -- and Amir's eventual winning of the competition finally earns him some approval in the disapproving eyes of his harsh father. The victory comes with a great loss, however, as Amir fails to help Hassan when he falls into the hands of sadistic Assef (Amir Malaklou) who, with the help of his gang, rape the boy.

Amir's guilt over witnessing the crime without interfering causes him to withdraw from his friendship with the ever-loyal Hassan who doesn't understand what he has done to displease his friend. He even claims Hassan has stolen from him to have him and his father sent from the household. Eventually war forces Baba and Amir to flee and start a new life in California. 

There, Amir marries Soraya (Azita Ghanizada) and tries to pursue his career as a writer. Years later, he learns that Hassan is dead and that his former friend's son, Sohrab (also played by Sirakian), is in an Afghan orphanage, being used by sex traffickers. An old family friend, Rahim Khan (Dariush Kashani), and Soraya plead with the reluctant Amir to return to Kabul to save the boy.

Now, I know most of you reading this probably loved the book, as most people did. I tried, but couldn't stay interested enough to read very far. After watching this play, I think I realize why. The story should not be Amir's. He is a really not a nice, or sympathetic, person who makes selfish, bad choices all of his life. One moment of realization late in the game to me does not make this a story of redemption worth sitting through two and half hours -- or 400 pages. I would so much rather have Hassan tell the story. We feel for him. We want to understand how he feels about being a second-class citizen, the joy he must have felt at finding a brother/friend in Amir and how he copes with Amir's rejection and betrayal. Having Amir tell the story and giving this character more importance, adds insult to injury. 

The story is skillfully directed by Giles Croft and the mood is created by Barney George (Scenic and Costume Design), Charles Balfour (Lighting Design), Drew Baumohl (Sound Design), William Simpson (Projection Design), though the kite flying could have been more imaginative.

Music by Jonathan Girling opens the story (for a bit too long) and underscores dialogue with cultural instruments. 

I left the theater wondering why we still are seeing stories written by men, directed by men about men and how they feel on Broadway stages in an age when we are supposed to be making an effort to include underrepresented voices. There are many plays written by women about issues women deal with every day, including rape. 

Additional credits:

Kitty Winter (Movement Director), Humaira Ghilzai (Cultural Advisor and Script Consultant), Damian Sandys (Associate Director).

Additional casting:

Mazin Akar, Barzin Akhavan, Demosthenes Chrysan, Azita Ghanizada, Danish Farooqui, Joe Joseph, Déa Julien, Dariush Kashani, Beejan Land, Amir Malaklou, Christine Mirzayan, Haris Pervaiz, Alex Purcell, Eric Sirakian, Houshang Touzie, and Evan Zes. Salar Nader plays the tabla, a percussion instrument.

The Kite Runner plays at the Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St., NYC. https://thekiterunnerbroadway.com/

FAMILY-FRIENDLY FACTORS:

• Language
• Sexual dialogue
• Rape (graphically described, but not shown)
• God's name taken in vain
• Muslim prayer and wedding ceremony
• Masks are required for Wednesday matinee and Friday evening performances. At other performances, masks are optional inside the theater. For more specific information go to: https://2st.com/visit
• the theater was freezing! Bring a sweater.