Amir is a disappointment to his father – creative like his late mother. He is a writer in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, the Kite Runner, which is adapted for the stage by Matthew Spangler and directed by Giles Croft. Amir learns to fly a kite with his faithful friend and servant, Hassan and hopes to make his father proud of him by winning the competition. Amir and Hassan are inseparable at the start of the Brighton’s Theatre Royal show.
Hassan is “loyal as a dog.” Would Amir do the same for Hassan? A terrible incident shatters their lives and destroys their friendship forever. Neither Hassan nor Amir fully recover, and their fathers’ do not understand what has happened. The boys are sworn to secrecy and haunted, unable to speak up or seek help.
The Kite Runner begins in Afghanistan, a country on the verge of war. It’s a story among other things, about childhood and migration. Amir and his father emigrate to America and, stripped of their wealth and status, Amir’s father works in a gas station. However, they find an Afghan community and adjust to their new lives. Time passes and the boys grow up.
Eventually, Amir is summoned to Pakistan to meet Rahim Khan, (a trusted family friend) played by Christopher Glover, who sets him on a secret mission. It’s Amir’s chance to make peace with the past and find redemption.
Characterisation is strong in The Kite Runner. Hassan has huge dignity and makes many sacrifices to protect Amir. Yazdan Qafouri captures Hassan’s character extremely well and plays his son, Sohrab. He is accustomed to complex theatre as a Shakespearean actor like Stuart Vincent who plays Amir, the central protagonist. Amir injects humour as a child but comes of age and grows into a man during the play.
Dean Rehman is Baba, Amir’s father, puzzled about this sensitive child he doesn’t know how he created. Dean studied in New York and has TV, film, radio and theatre credits on both sides of the pond. Daphne Kouma who plays Soraya, Amir’s wife, is a French/Greek actress who has starred in Eastenders.
I thoroughly enjoyed this play, enhanced by musician Hanif Khan who played the Tabla and percussion prominently on the stage during the performance. The music brought Afghanistan to the audience and authenticity to the production. Songs were sung live, off-stage and the set was also imaginative. Direction by Matthew Spangler and Musical direction and composition by Johnathan Girling were both faultless.
The Kite Runner is a tale of friendship and betrayal, guilt and redemption, childhood and migration. It’s based on a bestseller written by my favourite author, Khaled Hosseini. It’s also been made into a film.
This article was first published on the Brighton Source website: Brighton’s going out Bible.