THE KITE RUNNER Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/5/22 at 12:00am

Brace yourselves for a soaring new adventure.

The new play The Kite Runner begins previews at the Helen Hayes Theatre tomorrow night before a July 21 official opening. Based on the bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini, the show has been adapted for the stage by Matthew Spangler; direction is by Giles Croft. The 12-member cast — not including understudies — is led by Amir Arison as Amir and Faran Tahir as Baba. The Kite Runner is playing a limited run, currently set to conclude October 30.

“One of the best-loved and most highly acclaimed novels of our time, The Kite Runner is a powerful play of friendship that follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither of the boys can foresee the incident which will change their lives forever. Told across two decades and two continents, The Kite Runner is an unforgettable journey of redemption and forgiveness, and shows us all that we can be good again.”

Who’s ready to take flight?

[Voter]

Posted: 7/5/22 at 1:58am

I am READY to take flight! This is my favorite book of all time. I am going in September to see this production. 

[annang]

Posted: 7/5/22 at 1:56pm

Has anyone seen a discount code for this?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/5/22 at 2:05pm

annang said: "Has anyone seen a discount code for this?"

KRDRM414 - tickets from $69, orchestra seats from $99

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/5/22 at 2:07pm

annang said: "Has anyone seen a discount code for this?"

I would be surprised if they aren't heavily on TDF or papering. Perhaps best to wait.

[willrolandsframes]

Posted: 7/6/22 at 11:36am

Gonna be weird to see Amir as something other than Agent Mojtabai.

Who’s going tonight?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/6/22 at 11:43am

I'm going next week and I've heard zero buzz about this. It's really disappointing since it's one of my favorite novels. I hope it catches on and gets its full run. 

[inception]

Posted: 7/6/22 at 7:13pm

If anyone Googles for reviews of the play, you get lots of ones from the London production, which weren't exactly stellar. When I Google, the second one that shows up is a headline from The Guardian:
"The Kite Runner review – loses its grip on Khaled Hosseini's engaging tale"

I read that one months ago, & decided to give it a pass even though it has a Monday night performance the week I will be in the city.  I went with Phantom instead, which one the toin coss over Chicago.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/6/22 at 11:45pm

Was anyone there tonight? Running time on Telecharge says 2:40, including intermission.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 7/7/22 at 11:49am

Since nobody has chimed in yet about this run, I feel compelled to repeat what I wrote in an earlier thread:

I saw this production in London, and really enjoyed it. I don’t think the translation from page to stage was quite as smooth as it could be – it really felt like a book put onstage, making the structure feel too bloated and sprawling for the new medium. But the drama is still really raw and potent, and it packs a big emotional punch. The staging is simple, but effective, with a tight focus on the storytelling. Great use of a live tabla musician throughout the performance.

As I said in the announcement thread, there was a standing ovation when I saw it, which is rare for a West End show that’s not a musical, and has no big stars. But of course that’s just one piece of anecdotal evidence – I can see why some critics and audiences would think the adaptation doesn’t capture the quality of the book or film. I actually haven’t seen/read either, so I was experiencing the powerful story for the first time.

[Duckie4]

Posted: 7/7/22 at 11:58pm

I was at the show tonight. Let me first say that I read the book for the first time about a month ago, so the plot and the details and the rich exposition were still pretty fresh in my mind.  So I have no idea how this would be experienced by someone who didn't know the story. 

Let me also say that I'm aware that adapting a several hundred page book to the stage is a herculean task. In this case, the major plot points were there, it just felt like a lot of the heart was taken out in the attempt to cram it all in.

Adult Amir narrates this story to the audience....then inserts himself into the scenes....then returns to narrate more. That means he plays child Amir throughout Act 1, which made it hard for me to get pulled in. 

The sequence of events and the dialogue throughout the play are lifted directly from the book. The staging is simple so that scenes can move seamlessly from one to the other. 

Some things were unnecessary and felt campy....like a scene early in Act 2 when Amir talks about him and his father emigrating to San Francisco in the early 80's, upon which the entire cast comes out dressed in 80's garb, dancing around and spouting 80's lingo.  I just....I mean, really? 

Tonight, Faran Tahir, who plays Baba, wore a mask throughout the entire performance.  I'm assuming it was out of an abundance of caution after perhaps a Covid exposure but no positive test.  It's understandable, it's responsible, but it was obviously distracting.  Not being able to see an actor's face?  I would rather have seen an understudy, but perhaps that just wasn't possible. The show must go on, after all. 

All in all, I'm glad I saw the show.  I didn't love it, but there were some powerful, moving moments especially in Act 2.  Loved the tabla player and the use of different sound instruments played by cast members throughout the show. 

 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 12:40am

A performer performing with a mask, I believe, means that they had tested positive for covid but are asymptomatic and they have not yet completed their ten-day isolation as per AEA rules. This happened a couple months ago at Moulin Rouge!

[Duckie4]

Posted: 7/8/22 at 12:54am

HeyMrMusic said: "A performer performing with a mask, I believe, means that they had tested positive for covid but are asymptomatic and they have not yet completed their ten-day isolation as per AEA rules. This happened a couple months ago atMoulin Rouge!"

I see, thank you.  

 

[yomerves25]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 11:50am

I am selling two tickets for Kite Runner this Wednesday evening in Row E on the aisle. PM me if you are interested.

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 12:18pm

Haven't seen this yet but I do remember the ACT-SF production of A Thousand Splendid Suns, the other famous Hosseini novel, and found that the novel didn't adapt well to a dramatic format. Too much happened too quickly, and the whole thing came across as ludicrously tragic instead of narratively coherent. I suspect this may have the same problem.

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 7/10/22 at 12:36pm

saw it earlier this week. agreed with this

 

the novel didn't adapt well to a dramatic format

[veronicamae]

Posted: 7/12/22 at 11:54pm

I absolutely adored this - and I didn't expect to.

[BJR]

Posted: 7/17/22 at 8:02am

Caught a preview the other night. Had never read the novel or knew anything.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's not perfect and indeed the narration can have us zipping through events, and not always dramaticizing them in a way that brings their full dramatic potential.

But when it does, it's quite effective and moving. The story is quite the ride and not one told on Bway often, that's for sure. The production itself is simple, storytelling theatre that moves quickly. I would have thought it would have had more visual flare for a piece in this style, but ultimately there's a straight-forwrd honesty in the whole telling that ends up being its strength.

[gracespens]

Posted: 11/19/22 at 7:57am

That novel is one of my favorites; I've read it twice. And I was excited to find out that I'll be able to watch the play. But if we compare written versions of plays and theater plays, I prefer written versions. When I read for myself, it's easier to understand the plot and characters and make some conclusions. And when I needed to write a paper based on that play, I decided to reread it again. Also, I managed to learn more and read different The Kite Runner essay samples, which helped me do understand some aspects even more. And now, after reading the play, watching it, reading those examples, and writing my paper, I think I understand it as deeply as possible.

Updated On: 11/21/22 at 07:57 AM