Watching The Kite Runner being performed live on stage last night made for an utterly absorbing experience.

Adapted from Afghan American author Khaled Hosseini’s harrowing yet poignant bestselling novel (which was made into a critically acclaimed film in 2007), the stage version premiered 15 years ago.

The Kite Runner is a beautiful but disturbing, compelling and uplifting story of an unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy - Amir - and the son of his father’s servant - Hassan. Set in the 1970s against the backdrop of war-torn Afghanistan - and providing a perspective on the country’s tragic past through the eyes of Amir - it takes its audience on an unforgettable and heartbreaking journey, along the way exploring the themes of atonement and redemption. 

Much of the tale is narrated by Amir, rather than acted, the plot moving along at a tremendous pace. Stuart Vincent, who plays Amir, switches between telling the story and taking part in the action at different stages of his character’s life. From a child, to a teenager, to an adult in his 30s, Vincent brilliantly uses movement and vocal inflection to portray Amir at different times in his development. As he does so, he also perfectly captures a sense of his suffering - a suffering caused by the disloyalty he has shown toward Hassan (Yazdan Qafouri). The impact of a cowardly decision, made in fear, not only haunts him but also underpins the whole story.

The Kite Runner is distressing and tough to watch, with horrific tragedies and acts of violence much in evidence. With little in the way of respite provided, the atmosphere is very sombre. The small cast of 12 actors move almost seamlessly between characters, each of them giving an incredibly moving performance as they bring to life this emotionally gripping story.

Simplicity is the essence of the show. Sets are minimal. Clever use of lighting and sound helps identify Kabul, Pakistan and San Francisco, where the story unfolds. 

The live tabla (Indian drums), played on stage throughout the performance, are used to underscore many scenes whilst reinforcing a sense of Afghan identity (Hanif Khan has not only been the resident tabla player on The Kite Runner since 2013, he also helped create the original soundtrack for this current adaptation).

Beautiful descriptions of the kite-flying festival are played out with puppet-like kites and handheld wind-imitating devices, while images of flying kites, simultaneously projected onto the backdrop, give the illusion of hundreds more kites filling the stage.

The famous advice to authors seeking authenticity is to ‘write what you know’. In The Kite Runner, Amir wants to be a writer too. “Sad stories make good books,” his future wife tells him. In this case, they also make for a challenging but exceptional play.

5 stars

The Kite Runner was reviewed by Sue Hull on Tuesday 28 May at Malvern Theatres, where it shows until this Saturday (1 June)