THE KITE RUNNER - UK TOUR - REVIEW

Last night I visited the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford for a Press night for the UK Touring production of ‘The Kite Runner’. In this review, i will give my thoughts on this production.

‘The Kite Runner’ follows the story of two boys in Afghanistan who have to face the troubles of being torn apart by fear and their own betrayal. It is a moving piece based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini and adapted for the stage by Matthew Spangler. Spangler’s script is a powerful one - one that makes you gasp with shock, and lean forward with anticipation - a true genius of a playwright. 

The set, the first thing you see when you enter the auditorium and the place where our entire story takes place. It looks simple, with two ramps and a plain border across the back. However, this is not to be mistaken for a simple set, as throughout the play there are projections on these pieces of set that just make the whole thing transform into something different! I love it when shows cleverly use projection and in this case, it worked out nicely. Projection Designer, William Simpson and Designer, Barney George are a great team. Their work is paired with lighting designer, Charles Balfour’s brilliance as well which provides a simple yet effective state of light for each moment and each scene. 

Giles Croft directs this production of ‘The Kite Runner’ which I thought was excellent. This is an extremely moving show, with lots of strong themes that can be rather upsetting. Croft’s direction ensures the greatest amount of tension, everything that comes from the stage is genuine and real - this comes from Croft’s direction and the incredible cast of performers.

It takes a great team of talented actors to pull of a story such as this one, and this cast are the perfect choice.

Leading the show is Stuart Vincent as ‘Amir’ and what an outstanding performance Vincent gives. From start to finish Vincent is on the stage, giving a touching delivery of this character. I particularly was impressed with his raw emotion and ability to switch from comedy to emotion very quickly. This was a standout performance for me, and I was just mesmerised by the performance he gave.

Hassan/Sohrah is played by Yazdan Qafouri who characterises beautifully and gives a heartbreaking performance as Sohrah. His portrayal of Hassan was delightful too, and it was fantastic to watch. His onstage chemistry with Stuart Vincent as Amir was powerful and the pair make a great duo.

Another standout for me was Dean Rehman as ‘Baba’, Amir’s father. Rehman’s performance was a strong one as this character has so many complexities which we only understand towards the end of the play -but throughout ‘Baba’s’ different health states we see realistic and true performance from Rehman who is a total master of his craft. 

That being said, the entire cast were wonderful, throughout. This is a great piece for an ensemble with everybody having parts and things to do, and without any one person this show would not have the heart and power that it does.

The music in the show is played, for the most part, live - by Musician, Hanif Khan. It was great to see Khan onstage during the show, it just added another layer onto this amazing show with brilliant live music.  

Overall, this is a magnificent production of a story that you need to see! I would totally recommend you going to see this show - and it is currently on tour right now and you can find tickets here: https://www.thekiterunnerplay.com/tourdates

‘The Kite Runner’ runs at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford until Saturday 25th May. So if you’re in the area - just a 35 minute train from London, get tickets for this great show before it’s too late: https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/the-kite-runner

Wednesday 22nd May

Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants