This post features gifted experiences
I’m not sure I even know where to start with this review. Kite Runner is a story I’d heard of but knew little about – and actually I think I’m glad I didn’t know much about it before watching it this evening.
This is an intense couple of hours of theatre which comes with a number of trigger warnings for strong language, depictions of bullying, sexual violence, suicide, the use of weapons and the sound of gun shots with a recommended minimum age of 13+. Would I take Chloe to watch it? No, I don’t think I would. Ben? Perhaps.
I think sometimes it’s easier to watch a film adaptation of a challenging book and let parts of it go over your head – you can make a brew, check your phone, zone out a bit – but in the theatre the impact is just so much greater. You’re in it. With no distractions and nowhere else to look. There is no hiding from what’s being played out in front of you.
This is the sort of theatre which teaches you lessons and opens your eyes – you learn about the impact of culture, religion, heritage and pride, you learn about the difficulties other people face in their lives. Stories like this are hugely important for developing our understanding of cultures and lived experiences other than our own.
Now it may be that Kite Runner is one of your favourite books, or it may be that like me, you have never read it and are not remotely familiar with the storyline or some of the most powerful quotes. I don’t want to tell you too much as I’d hate to spoil it for you but this is a story about class, about power and about shame. A story about servitude, about loyalty and about doing what’s right.
We learn about some of the history of Afghanistan, of the ethnic tensions between the Pashtun and Hazaras, of two different types of Muslims: Sunni and Shia and how some people see one to be better than the other. We learn about families fleeing their homes and their countries for safety in Pakistan and then to America. We learn about the Taliban and about radicalisation – the young boy who bullied his peers, who saw himself to be superior because of his religious beliefs and ethnic heritage who later joined the Taliban.
Alongside this we see Amir struggling to live up to his father’s expectations – his dad wants him to play football and stand up for himself, but Amir is keen to avoid conflict and enjoys writing stories. There are lessons to be learned about following your dreams and nurturing your talents – not just becoming who you think your dad wants you to be. As Raheem Khan tells Baba, “Children aren’t colouring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favourite colours.” It is our job to nurture our children so that they can become who they are meant to be, not who we want them to be.
Although the story is often dark and almost always intense there are pockets of respite – the bright clothes and singing and dancing which signal the move to America in the 80s, some moments of humour and finally a sense of relief and then hope in the ‘full circleness’ of the ending.
“Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.”
I had expected to sob watching this play but actually I think I just left feeling a little shell-shocked with a head full of thoughts. I was grateful of the half hour drive home with Mich to be able to chat things through (and of course for writing this all down for you too when I got home!)
The set is minimal but impactful, there is little music but what there is is traditional and adds atmosphere through live percussion – Tabala drums and singing bowls. Throughout the performance there are pauses, pauses which add to the intensity but giving you as the audience space to breathe, space to feel.
Everyone on stage played their part to perfection but I want to give a special shout out Dean Rehman playing Baba (Amir’s father) who manages to age about 30yrs through the course of the play from a strong, affluent and commanding man to a weak, frail old man riddled with cancer but still full of pride.
The Kite Runner is a play that will stay with me for a long time and, as Soraya tells us , “Sad stories make good books” – now I need to read the book!
The Kite Runner is playing at The Lowry from Tuesday 7th to Saturday 11th May 2024. The running time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes including an interval.
Check out our guide to Manchester theatre here.
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