Review: NJ Premiere of SELLING KABUL at Premiere Stages-A Poignant Drama Brilliantly Presented

“They’re hunting you Taroon.” By Afiya in Selling Kabul

Premiere Stages at Kean University is now presenting the New Jersey premiere of Sylvia Khoury’s affecting  drama, Selling Kabul. Superbly directed by Taylor Reynolds, the show features a cast of four excellent actors that include Atra Asdou, Anat Cogan, Afsheen Misaghi, and Zaven Ovian. It will be on the Union Stage through September 24 and we highly recommend that our readers make plans to attend the show. Selling Kabul was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer in Drama.  The play received its New York premiere at Playwrights Horizons in November 2021, directed by Tyne Rafaeli and produced in association with Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Set in Kabul in the year 2013, Taroon is a young man who had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan. As the Americans withdraw from the conflict, Taroon has become a target for the increasingly powerful and violent Taliban regime.  He hides out in the home of his loving sister, Afiya and her husband Jawid while he anxiously hopes for the notice of a U.S. visa. Taroon has just become a father and desperately longs to see his newborn son and wife, but that would risk the safety of his entire family.  This heart-wrenching tale is an intimate portrait on how the lengthy war Afghanistan War has had devastating effects on individuals in the country and their families leaving them with dangerous and uncertain futures.

The cast of Selling Kabul are ideal in their roles with Atra Asdou as Afiya; Anat Cogan as Leyla; Afsheen Misaghi as Jawid; and Zaven Ovian as Taroon.   The actors impeccably deliver Sylvia Khoury’s finely crafted, incisive dialogue.  There’s an overriding sense of tension throughout the play with riveting scenes that include Afiya telling Taroon about the birth of his son; Afiya’s friend and neighbor, Leyla visiting and nosily searching the apartment; Taroon insisting that me must leave the apartment to see his wife and son; Jawid and Afiya planning Taroon’s secretive departure from the city; Leyla’s hysterical reaction when she learns that Taroon has put her family in danger also; and Afiya and Jawid considering the future of Taroon’s child.

The design team for Selling Kabul has done a great job of bringing the play to the stage with scenic design by Ashley Basile; costume design by Shivanna Sooknanan; lighting design by Zack Gage; sound design by Frederick Kennedy and Liam Bellman-Sharpe; and props by Liss Faitoute.  Humaira Ghilzai serves as Cultural Consultant and Louis Sallan serves as Dialect Coach. Dale Smallwood is the Production Stage Manager.

We applaud Premiere Stages for producing Selling Kabul. The theatre continues to present shows that are entertaining and edifying to captivate metro area audiences. Selling Kabul lends a very significant perspective of the war in Afghanistan.  It is a timely piece of theatre that will invite necessary discussions for its audiences.

Selling Kabul is being performed in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center on the Kean University main campus in Union, N.J. Performances take place Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Audience members can engage more deeply with Ms. Khoury’s thought-provoking play in Premiere’s free Community Connections following select matinee (3pm) performances. Tickets are $35 standard, $25 for senior citizens and Kean alumni and staff, $20 for patrons with disabilities and $15 for students. Significant discounts for groups of ten or more apply.  For more information, please visit Premiere Stages at  https://premierestagesatkean.com/ or call 908.737.4077.

Photo Credit: Mike Peters 

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