Review: The Kite Runner National Tour at Nottingham Playhouse
Wow - it’s been a while since I wrote a review, hasn’t it? I’ve been so busy that the last few months have all been a bit of a crazy blur. I’ve been meaning to get back into regular theatre writing for a while, though, and I was lucky enough to secure a press ticket to the touring production of The Kite Runner on the first night of its Nottingham run last night.
What’s it about?
In 1975, 12 year old Amir lives in Kabul, Afghanistan with his father, Baba. He spends his days playing and flying kites with his best friend, Hassan - the son of his father’s servant, Ali. Hassan is a skilled kite runner for Amir, retrieving fallen kites for him. But one day, after Amir wins a kite fighting tournament, he witnesses a horrendous act of violence against his best friend. Too afraid to intervene, Amir runs from the scene.
The guilt from this incident will haunt Amir for decades, even after he and his father leave Afghanistan for the US and he is a grown man with a wife and a successful career. Until he receives a letter from his father’s old friend, Rahim Khan, with a simple but profound message: “there is a way to be good again.”
Any content notes?
This is a heavy story and often very sad. There are quite a lot of content warnings for this one, including (minor potential spoilers ahead):
A child character (played by an adult) is raped. We do not see it happen but we see the moments immediately before and after. Very intense, violent and upsetting.
Physical and psychological abuse of children is seen, sexual abuse is implied and talked about
A child attempts suicide
Themes of war and genocide, specifically the genocide against the Hazara people by the Taliban in the 1990s
Theme of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and the many human rights abuses they committed
Physical violence including fistfights, characters getting beaten, and a character taking a slingshot hit to the eye
Scenes of bullying
Characters holding guns on stage and gunshots heard several times throughout the play
A lot of swearing, mostly f-words and the occasional c-word
A few uses of the anti-gay slur beginning with f
The Kite Runner: My Review
I loved The Kite Runner when I read Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling 2003 novel, and seeing this adaptation has made me want to reread it. In part because it’s a beautiful story but also in part because this adaptation - though I enjoyed much of it - didn’t quite do justice to Hosseini’s beautiful and heartbreaking novel for me.
It’s easy to be moved by The Kite Runner and Amir’s search for redemption and forgiveness, and I teared up several times during the show. Even so, I felt it was missing some of the raw power of the original novel. I suppose it’s very difficult to translate a 350+ page novel spanning several decades into a two hour play without losing something. As such, there were important and pivotal moments that occasionally felt rushed.
Stuart Vincent (centre) as Amir with the cast of The Kite Runner.
I have to admit I’m not really a fan of the “adults playing children” trope, which the entire first half of this play consists of, though I can accept it might be necessary in this case - the child versions of Amir and Hassan (and later Hassan’s son, Sohrab, who is played by the same actor) are difficult and intense roles in a challenging and intense play. With that said, Stuart Vincent - playing Amir - is able to switch between ages seamlessly and convincingly.
Amir acts as the show’s narrator. I don’t have a problem with narrator characters and some fourth-wall-breaking narration, but there was perhaps a little too much of it. There were a few moments where I felt that the concept of “show, don’t tell” should have been employed.
All the leads give strong performances, with Stuart Vincent creating just enough sympathy for the often unlikeable Amir. But for me it was Yazdan Qafouri as Hassan/Sohrab who stole the show. His vulnerability, his loyalty to Amir (even when utterly undeserved), and his trauma as both father and son were heartbreakingly convincing. Bhavin Bhatt was also truly sinister as bully Assef who grows up to become a sadistic Taliban soldier, and Dean Rehman was excellent as Baba.
In general, this play was at its best when the characters were interacting in pairs - Amir and Hassan as children, Amir and Soraya (Daphne Kouma) falling in love and then drifting apart, Rahim Khan (a small but vital role played powerfully by Christopher Glover) revealing life-changing truths to Amir. The ensemble scenes often fell a little flat and I wanted more to be made of them.
Stuart Vincent as Amir and Yazdan Qafouri as Hassan
Barney George’s gorgeous set is simple but effective, transforming the space from Amir’s childhood Kabul home in Act 1 to the skyline of San Francisco in Act 2. I particularly liked the use of fabric drapes resembling kites on which backdrops and images were projected.
Dean Rehman (centre) as Baba
The soundscape design was effective, too. In particular, I loved the choice to have a Tabla player - Hanif Khan - on stage the entire time, providing traditional music to transport us to the world of 1970s Afghanistan and contrasting with the 1980s American music in the second act. I also loved the use of sound and projections (the latter designed by William Simpson) to bring the kite-flying scenes - some of the most dynamic and engaging in the show - to life.
Though I enjoyed this play overall, it lacked something that would elevate it from good to great. I hate to be that person who watches an adaptation and says “it was good but the book was better.” But in this case I’m afraid it’s true! See the play, but then read the book to get the full impact of the story if you haven’t already.
Where to get tickets
The Kite Runner plays in Nottingham until Saturday and tickets are available from the theatre. It then continues its UK tour at various venues until July.