Matthew’s Spangler’s beautiful and emotional adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s masterpiece The Kite Runner is a play to behold.
From beginning to end there is a stirring narrative led by the very capable David Ahmad who plays the central character Amir.
You are taken on a journey through a childhood and coming of age, marked by guilt, ending with redemption.
Set in Kabul, the story moves to San Francisco with a painful return to a war-torn Afghanistan. Along the way it pricks the conscience about the plight of refugees.
There are many intricate themes that explore devotion, love and betrayal – everything you would want in a play, coupled with simple yet effective scenery and a haunting sound arrangement, with live musical instruments such as the tabla played by the musician Hanif Khan evoking distant worlds.
This is a story about love between a father and his son and the pure joy and love between childhood friends.
It also highlights the fragility of the human condition and the need to be loved and recognised by one’s parents.
There are many emotional scenes and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
No wonder then that there was a packed theatre and the performance ended with a standing ovation.
The production is staged by the Nottingham Playhouse and the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.
The Kite Runner is playing at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, today (Saturday 18 November) at 2.30pm and 7.45pm.
