The Kite Runner Tour
The Kite Runner - 2024 US Tour History , Info & More
Kennedy Center [Eisenhower Theatre]
2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566
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.
The Kite Runner - 2024 - US Tour Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Kite Runner
Theatre Review: ‘The Kite Runner’ at The Kennedy Center
7 / 10
Playwright Matthew Spangler ensures that the audience is able to understand Amir’s motivations by crowning him as the narrator, which allows for a deeper look into his character. Unfortunately, this development also meant that the play sometimes resorts to relying on Amir’s narration to convey key story developments that they do not have the time to stage. While this fault is understandable given the breadth of Amir’s story, it removes key moments of hope from a heartbreaking story. Most of the major plot points that Spangler had to stage are incredibly depressing: racist attacks, the rape of a child, and the death of a father. When the moments in-between—Amir’s conversations with Rahim Khan or Amir and Soraya nursing Sohrab back to health after his suicide attempt—get lost in the shuffle, the story’s meaning changes. It becomes about the tragedy rather than the atonement. In two and a half hours, sacrifices have to be made, but they still have an impact on how the story lands.
Review: THE KITE RUNNER Presented By Broadway In Chicago
8 / 10
When adapting any literary work for the stage, the creative team must ask what their iteration can accomplish on the stage that could not be achieved on the page. In this regard, Spangler’s script and Giles Croft’s direction succeed on several counts. This dramatized version of KITE RUNNER gives audiences a much more concrete sense of Afghan culture and how it connects a community forced from their homeland. One of the second act’s more moving tableaus comes during a nikah, the Islamic marriage ceremony that unites Amir and his fellow refugee Soraya (excellently played with sweetness and strength by Awesta Zarif). In fact, one of the benefits of adapting this story for the stage is that it creates a greater sense of intimacy between the characters and the audience, bringing them into a time and place that risks feeling fantastical within the limits of the novel. Standout scenes include when Hassan lies to Baba about a stolen watch as a means of protecting Amir, and Amir’s hesitant courtship of Soraya.
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by Stephi Wild - June 26, 2024
The North American tour of The Kite Runner opened on April 9 at ASU Gammage in Tempe, AZ before moving on to nearly 20 cities. Read the reviews here!
by Stephi Wild - April 12, 2024
All new photos have been released from the North American tour of THE KITE RUNNER, a play with music based on Khaled Hosseini’s internationally best-selling novel.
The Kite Runner History
Other Productions of The Kite Runner
| 2017 | West End |
West End Transfer West End |
| 2017 | West End |
2017 West End Transfer West End |
| 2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2024 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
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