Steve Keeling Reviews The Kite Runner at the West Yorkshire Playhouse…
First a confession! I’ve never actually read the Kite Runner. It’s been on my ‘to do’ list for years but I never got round to it. So I came to this production of the Khaled Hosseini’s epic novel free from preconceptions. The novel also spawned a successful film.
The play returns to the West Yorkshire Playhouse for the first time in 3 years after a successful West End run and is a co-production by the Nottingham Playhouse and the Liverpool Everyman theatre.
The spellbinding story tells the tale of Amir, the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant who narrates key moments of his life during a turbulent period of recent Afghan history. The story is a dark one full of violence, betrayals, broken friendships and compromises. Themes of honour, culture and racism are also explored. One of the main unspoken characters is Afghanistan itself as its violent history unfolds over a 30 year span which includes the Soviet invasion and the rise of the Taliban. I won’t spoil the ending for my fellow 1% of people who haven’t read the novel but there’s a massive twist at the end.
To be able to capture an era spanning epic of this nature on the stage is no mean feat but this production manages it comfortably to provide a stunning piece of theatre. The production received the blessing of Khaled Hosseini who collaborated with the productions adapter Martin Spangler to bring his story to the stage.
Powerful performances are given by David Ahmed as the main character Amir, Emilio Doorgasingh as Amir’s father and Ravi Aujla as the stern father in law. The sociopathic baddy Assef is played with agreeable malevolence by Bhavin Bhatt and Ameira Dawish gives a sensitive and thoughtful performance as Amir’s wife Soraya.
The set although sparse is beautifully lit and props are used intelligently to suggest a mansion in Kabul, a flea market in San Francisco and a hospital in Pakistan! The presence of a musician playing the traditional Afghan tabla at the front of the stage helped to create an exotic almost dream like atmosphere.
A full house was richly rewarded and gave a standing ovation at the end of the performance. The Kite Runner is on until Saturday 23rd September and if you can get a ticket, get one! Absolutely a must see.