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The Kite Runner Comes to Broadway…

And the Chaos of Afghanistan are in Times Square

 

With so many hot spots bubbling over around the world and with so many international tragedies taking place, Afghanistan is not always in the front and center of our minds. Now suddenly it’s right here with us, right in Times Square, as close as a seat in a Broadway theater – with its sounds, griefs and struggles enveloping us.

‘The Kite Runner’, one of the most popular novels about Afghanistan, is now on Broadway, playing at the Helen Hayes Theater through October. The screenplay is based on the first novel by Khaled Hosseini which went on to getting great word of mouth and became a New York Times bestseller, translated into several languages. Originally published in 2003, The Kite Runner became a bestseller across the globe and has since been published in 70 countries, selling 31.5 million copies in 60 languages

Based on Hosseini’s novel and adapted by Matthew Spangler, the production comes to New York from two successful seasons in London’s West End where it was called “a cultural phenomenon” by The Sunday Express and “an enthralling tale beautifully told” by The Daily Telegraph.   Performances began on July 6 and it will run through October 30.

There is something about this simple story which pulls on our emotions and draws us into the lives of two boys in Afghanistan as outside influences infiltrated and transformed the country after the fall of the monarchy – first the Soviet invasion and the many conflicts and the rise of the Taliban.

If you haven’t read the book, you will still be drawn into the complex universe recreated by the play. It takes you on a powerful journey of guilt and redemption, without the comfort of knowing what readers of the book may know about how it all pans out. The Kite Runner is all about relationships – unfinished relationships, disappointments and regrets and how sometimes one can go back and try to salvage what was – to what can be.

 

Before you even see any of the performers, you see the Afghan tabla player Salar Nader and hear the music of Jonathan Girling – and it is very effective. Nader is supposed to be an invisible presence, almost a stage set – and his percussion creates joy, sadness and always evokes hope. The drums are always in the background and always a part of the spirit of the evening

The stark, minimal sets allow you to create an Afghanistan of your own in your own head. Some of the sets of The Kite Runner are whimsical, like the pomegranate orchard which evokes memories of a happier Kabul of their growing up years. That portion sometimes feels a little bit like a school play but manages to capture the joy of a lost time.

A plus point of The Kite Runner is the opportunities it opens up to diverse actors – 13 of them – to get their stories on stage. As Maya Philips wrote in The New York Times: “Legitimacy is always a tricky question when it comes to productions about people of color. That a story about the struggles of Afghans over the course of nearly three decades is on Broadway is a feat in itself, as is the cast of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent.”

The cast moves seamlessly creating a time and place for viewers and getting them thoroughly engaged. At its heart, The Kite Runner is about relationships, about friendships, about guilt and redemption – universal stories which affect us all.

Leading the cast are Amir Arison (Amir) and Faran Tahir (Baba) in a complex father-son relationship of great expectations thwarted. Equally intriguing is the friendship of Amir, a rich Pashtun and Hassan, the son of the servant Ali who belongs to the lowly Hazara community – a friendship across the class divide.

You get drawn into Amir and Hassan’s childhood, and Erik Sirakian, in his Broadway debut, is particularly effective as Hassan. He has a poignant innocence and exuberance which comes through as an unconditional love and devotion for his friend. In the kite flying tournaments, which are the lifeblood of Kabul’s cultural life, Hassan is the bold kite-runner who always retrieves Amir’s kite, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

Amir Arison’s role as Amir is the more difficult, complex role and you don’t particularly like his character but then you realize, he’s doing something right if you don’t like him. Like most of us, Amir is struggling with his baser qualities and he does recognize these in himself and in the end does redeem himself.

Afghanistan may be very far away but in two and a half hours you are drawn into its churning vortex and become a part of these lives. When a room full of inanimate seats and a stage set can evoke a time and a place and emotions, it is both a challenge met and a tribute to the cast and crew.

I think we all have or need a courageous kite runner in our lives, someone who is always there to support us unconditionally; someone who runs into rocky paths and says, “For you, a thousand times over.” And so on many levels, the play does touch us and maybe makes us think of situations and people in our own lives.

The Kite Runner is about playing the game of life with the cards you’re dealt – and sometimes getting a second chance to redeem yourself. It’s a simple evening with complex moorings – and very close to a conversation with our own human selves.

About The Kite Runner

The Cast:

Amir Arison (Amir) Best known for nine seasons on NBC/Sony/Netflix’s “The Blacklist.” TV/Film includes: “The Dropout,” “Ramy,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “American Horror Story,” “Billions,” “Bull,” “Homeland,” “Girls,” 20 Weeks, The Visitor. NY Theatre: Aftermath (NYTW, Drama League Nominee), Why Torture Is Wrong… (Public Theatre), Queens Boulevard (Signature), A Very Common Procedure (MCC), The Muscles in Our Toes (LAByrinth), Hamlet (Waterwell).  Regional: Yale Rep, Huntington, Old Vic, RSC, & more. 2018 Mendez Award Recipient. 2022 SJFF Pomegranate Award (Career Achievement in Acting).  Arison is repped by Sweet 180 and Meyer Downs.

Faran Tahir (Baba). An actor, writer, director, producer, Tahir has appeared in over 50 stage productions across the US and the world. Recently, he played the title roles of Othello at Shakespeare Theatre Co. and Richard III at Commonwealth Shakespeare Co. (Nominations). His film credits include over 30 films, e.g., Iron Man, Star Trek, Elysium, Escape Plan. His 100s of television credits include recurring roles on “Scandal,” “12 Monkeys,” “Warehouse 13,” “Once A Upon Time,” “American Crime,” “Dallas” among many others.

Eric Sirakian (Hassan/Sohrab) is thrilled to be making his Broadway debut in The Kite Runner! Theater credits include The Jungle (West End), Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, and Pericles (Shakespeare’s Globe). Television includes “Masters of the Air” (Apple TV+), and film includes Havoc (Netflix), both upcoming. He studied at Yale and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

The Kite Runner is directed by Giles Croft and adapted by Matthew Spangler. The creative team is Barney George (Scenic and Costume Design), Charles Balfour (Lighting Design), Drew Baumohl (Sound Design), William Simpson (Projection Design), Jonathan Girling (Composer and Musical Supervisor), Kitty Winter (Movement Director), Laura Stanczyk (Casting Director), Humaira Ghilzai (Cultural Consultant) and Damian Sandys (Associate Director).

It is produced by Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner and Tracey McFarland of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Jayne Baron Sherman, and in association with UK Productions Ltd. and Flying Entertainment Ltd/Kilimanjaro Group Ltd. Daryl Roth is the Executive Producer.