A tabla player taps out a steadily unnerving beat as the audience enters the auditorium. What begins as a gentle rhythm in the background of mumbled conversations, rises into an alarming crescendo, silencing the audience and marking the start of the story.
The (very talented) musician sets the standard for the rest of the evening, as The Kite Runner begins as a touching tale of childhood friendship, but descends into a tense and gripping account of betrayal, deceit and the price of loyalty.
David Ahmad leads the cast as tortured protagonist Amir. Ahmad treads a fine line of likeability as Amir, haunted by his selfish mistakes of the past. There are moments of genuine empathy of Amir, which are countered by a frustration and discomfort at his treatment of his friend. Despite his careless decisions, Ahmad manages to make the audience fear for Amir in the latter half of the play, as he ventures back into Afghanistan and finds himself in a dangerous situation. It’s a testament to Ahmad that such concern can be felt for a character so unlikeable.
Andrei Costin shines as the naïve best friend, Hassan, who pays the ultimate sacrifice in his loyalty to Amir, yet never fails to protect him, despite his friend’s mistreatment. The child-like quality of both actors during their characters younger years is endearing at first, but adds to the disturbing nature of later events.
Bhavin Bhatt also deserves a mention as the sneering, despicable Assef. From his mocking school-boy nastiness in act one, to his more sinister, controlled threat in act two, Bhatt has created a genuinely frightening villain.
Matthew Spangler’s script crackles with powerful imagery and heart-wrenching grief. Amir’s narration of the tale, particularly the more gruesome scene in act one, is played out in a way that grabs you tight and forces you to watch, leaving you feeling just as desperately implicated as Amir.
The Kite Runner is an emotional force, which wrestles with the issues of loyalty and deceit, to your peers, your family and your country, and leaves the audience with only the smallest glimmer of hope towards redemption.
RebelliousG 