Caution: Plot Details Revealed!
“There is a way to be good again” and so begins Theatre Calgary’s adaptation of The Kite Runner. A couple years ago, I had read Khaled Hosseini’s masterpiece and was overjoyed to be given a chance to see Playwright Matthew Spangler’s adaptation. Having been a while since I had read the novel, the details were a little fuzzy in my mind but I remembered the book as being both heart-wrenching and poignant and I was very curious to see if a two hour stage-play could match the depth of emotion I had felt when reading the novel.
The story itself is steeped in Afghanistan’s rich history. It begins with Hassan, a Hazara boy and his father who live as servants to a wealthy Pashtun man and his young son Amir, in Kabul. It is important to note that the Pashtuns and Hazaras are two of the largest Afghan ethnic groups and are also the most divided. The Pashtuns are mainly Sunni Muslims and dominate Afghan culture and politics while the Hazaras, are discriminated against in society and are a Shi’a Muslim minority. Amir however initially grows up oblivious to this as Hassan and him begin as fast friends and ‘Baba’, Amir’s father, considers Hassan to be just as much a son to him as Amir. As time goes on, the boys begin to feel the disconnect between their cultures as they are both publicly humiliated by the cruel boys in the neighbourhood for associating with each other. Kite fighting, is one of the only things that truly keeps them together. Kite fighting was one of the most fun but competitive sports in Afghan history before the Taliban banned it. Together, Hassan and Amir form a fierce team and go on to participate in the largest kite tournament in about twenty-five years. It is after this that the boys’ lives change forever as the unspeakable happens. Soon after, Hassan and his father resign as Baba’s servants and Amir and his father make the long trek together to San Francisco, to escape the mounting political turmoil in Afghanistan. Amir has lost his devoted friend who had always pledged “for you, a thousand times over”, despite the abuses he receives from Amir and the community. In his heart, Amir knows that this is the last he will see of Hassan and is wracked with guilt for a secret that blackens his heart from the day of the tournament.
I have deliberately kept the details here very vague, so as not to spoil the book for those
of you who have not yet read it. Long story short, although Amir makes a life for himself in America as a writer and eventually finds a wife, his past continues to haunt him. One day, with a surprising phone call from a family friend still in Kabul, Amir finds that he must visit the now war-torn Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban, which resembles nothing of the country he remembered growing up in. And indeed, there is a way for him to be good again, to right the wrongs of his past and to finally honour Hassan’s loyalty. Throughout the play, the kite remains a symbol of Hassan’s guilt, his path to redemption, and at the finale, soars as a emblem of new beginnings.
I was definitely blown away on February 23rd at the skill exhibited when transferring this globally renowned work to stage. During the performance, the older Amir narrates his story from the beginning, in the midst of the action going on with his younger self and the young Hassan. The transition from the Afghanistan of his childhood, to America and back again to his home country is seamless, accompanied by a beautiful set and gorgeous lighting. The director even found a way to make the kites “fly” on stage, and this, combined with the presence of a tabla player for a live soundtrack, made the experience all the more culturally rich. As well, the plot twists in the book were cleverly portrayed on stage as I heard some audience members gasp more than once when key details of the story were revealed. This heart-breaking and touching play was met with a well-deserved standing ovation at the end.
A big “Thank You” goes out to Kids Up Front for generously providing me these tickets and Theatre Calgary for the outstanding performance.