The Kite Runner

Kite Runners abound in many Asian countries and was refined to a high art in Afghanistan until the Taliban banned it in 1996, suspecting it of being an excuse to spy on women and children outside the immediate family. Absolute paranoid rubbish of course.
While kite flying is a widespread, and cheap pastime it was inevitable that a competitive streak emerged and kite fighting became a very cheap sport. Glass chips were glued onto the strings and airborne fights ensued as fliers battled to cut the strings of their rivals.
Against this background unfolds the tragic tale of two childhood friends, born at opposite ends of the wealth spectrum and divided by religious differences. Despite their disparities they grew up as best friends. Hassan's father working as a servant for Amir's father and the boys were encouraged to play together, kite running being a hobby they both excelled at. Hassan was a servant, knew his place and was happy there, serving his Father's Master and his best friend.
This play takes us from the relative calm and balance of early 70's Afghanistan where a Raj-like opulence reigned for the privileged few, through the turmoil of civil war that ensued when King Zahir Shah was overthrown, invasion by Russia in 1979 to today's continuing unrest between various religious factions. Through all this upheaval the old order of Master and Servant was destroyed and both classes often ended up fleeing side by side.
The first half was necessarily harrowing in its depiction of the fall of the old order in Afghanistan. However, a very incongruous start to the second half could have done without the cod hippy comedy turns which were totally out of place. The second half could have been trimmed by 20 minutes easily and meant we got out of the theatre by 10.30 .
In Kahled Husseini's fictional re imagining of tales from his life old secrets are revealed and scores settled as Amir moves from Afghan wealth to American safety with a wife. Ben Turner's Amir and Andrei Costin's Hassan deserve especial praise for their strong performances.
The return to Nottingham of The Kite Runners is a welcome one as a sold out Tuesday night bore testament. The staging is simple but very effective while the lighting is a master class in creative illumination and the kites of the title are superbly created to give the illusion of flying. My only gripes were with the sound. Some of the cast were not very adept at projection which led to some of the dialogue being inaudible and there was a peculiar sound track of what sounded like a glass having its rim rubbed. Very annoying and offputting. Praise does have to go to the on-stage drummer who provided an atmospheric but unobtrusive addition to the tension. The scenery was very imaginatively created with some amazing projections onto giant kites that folded down from above when needed.
The Kite Flyers is at Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 6th September 2014

© Paul Towers 3/9/2014
First published in Western Gazette