Kite Runner comes to life at New Rep

by Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer 

New Rep's season opens with The Kite Runner, an adaptation by Matthew Spangler, of the popular novel (and later movie) by Khaled Hosseini.  I will confess that I have not read the book nor seen the movie.  The play centers on Amir's journey growing up in Afghanistan in the 70s and his experiences both in his home country and later as he and his father flee to the US.  The play has both a young and an old Amir, whom we often times see together, and it is through his/their eyes that the audience is taken on a journey showing differences in class, religion, and a juxtaposition of war-torn life and escape against a new life in the US.  

We see Amir as a young boy playing with Hassan, who is the son of Amir's father's servant; the two spend all their time together.  It becomes clear that Hassan is incredibly loyal to Amir and would do anything for him.  The boys compete in kite competitions with Hassan as the kite runner.  After one competition, there is an incident in which Amir secretly witnesses something terrible happening to Hassan and does nothing to stop it.  This incident is one that continues to haunt Amir for many years as he searches for forgiveness and to free himself of secrets.  There are a few moments in the story where it almost lost me – where I found it was just too much – however, they were few and in the end it, it worked out and seemed believable.  

New Rep has assembled a very strong cast under the nuanced direction of Elaine Vaan Hogue.  There were quiet moments where you can feel the whole audience is deeply involved in the play.  In addition, there were some rather beautiful moments including the scene with the kite flying where the space is used very effectively, bringing some of the action out into the audience.  There were some violent scenes, and I felt myself being worried for the character, not being worried for the actor – I comment the violence designer, Robert Najarian.

Overall this was a very solid and moving play.  I found it even more timely that opening night was on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11.  These are issues that are still in the public's mind and it was thrilling to see this story brought to life in front of me.  

"The Kite Runner": Immersive and Introspective

By Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

New Rep’s “The Kite Runner” has the daunting task of competing with the audience’s prior experiences with Khaled Hossein’s novel by the same name and the 2007 movie.  Overall, the company assembled a memorable cast, including the sociopath Assef (John Zdrojeski), who has a perfect maniacal laugh, and the innocent Hassan (Luke Murtha), who maintains a wonderfully serene expression throughout the performance.

The stage is set with an imposing stone slab floor, surrounded by gravel and stone walls, creating a bleak and barren landscape.  In Act II, when Amir (Nael Nacer) and his father (Ken Baltin) reach America, the set remains the same except for a blurry, zoomed in photo of the Golden Gate bridge projected behind the stage.  The slightness of the change is deliberately symbolic.   For Amir, it signifies his failure, the event in his past that he cannot bury no matter how hard he tries.  For Baba, this signifies the life he left behind: his business, his wealth, his reputation. 

The kite scene, one of the most poignant scenes of the novel, is particularly effective in Matthew Spangler’s adaptation.  The sound of whirling kites sweeps over the audience almost claustrophobically as cast members walk through the aisles flying their kites.  Combined with the cheering of the chorus, this creates a highly dramatic and anticipatory climate.  The audience truly feels the excitement of Amir’s win and all that means for his relationship with his father. 

Nacer delivers an enthusiastic portrayal of Amir in his search for redemption.  However, the drawbacks of having an older narrator re-tell the events of his childhood are numerous, and, at times, detract from the flow of the performance.  Occasionally, Nacer is forced to act in a situation that he is unable to interact with.  He tries to join in a John Wayne gun fight with young Amir (Fahim Hamid) and Hassan, but the results are awkward at best.  In Act II, when present day means an adult Amir, Nacer is forced to dually narrate the time span between adjoining events as well as act in the intervening scenes.  Because of this, the narrator always looks a little out of place.

“The Kite Runner” raises interesting points on the value of redemption and the possibility of a moral identity outside of culture or politics.  New Rep successfully sheds light on both of these issues, leveraging the collected talents of the cast to fully immerse the audience in the author’s introspective story.

"Kite Runner" Beautiful & Painful

New Rep opens its 2012-2013 season with Mathew Spangler’s adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner.” The excellent cast, most of whom are making New Rep debuts, carried us deep into an unfamiliar world. Especially noteworthy is Nael Nacer who, as the adult Amir, narrates, sets the scene and leads us through the barriers of time and space. He physically shadows the actions of young Amir (Fahim Hamid) who skillfully portrays the boy’s painful transition from ease and playfulness to haunting guilt and shame. Luke Murtha is both Hassan and later his son Sohrab. The actor has a difficult task here as Hassan’s innocence, selflessness and saintly ability to forgive could be cloying. Murtha makes him radiantly believable. It’s hard to take your eyes off of him when he is on stage. Ken Baltin is also outstanding as the gruff father who carries a deep secret.  Many of the actors play multiple parts and Paige Clark is particularly notable for her ability to transform herself in seconds from an annoyed Vietnamese shopkeeper to the lovely Soraya. Drummer Fredrick Williams adds immeasurably to the atmosphere.

As always the sets and lighting are absolutely stunning. Although the set and lighting designers are also new to New Rep they live up to the very high standards regular fans have come to expect. We are always impressed by the New Rep’s ability to utterly transform the rather small stage in unique and ingenious ways. 

Any adaptator of ‘The Kite Runner’ faces a daunting task. This is a novel about a writer, a man who almost by definition, lives in his own words. There are times when the play suffers from too much narration and not enough dialogue. Overall, though, New Rep’s season opener provides an absorbing and at times deeply moving evening in the theater.

~ Johanna Ettin & Shauna Shames

Exciting photos surrounding THE KITE RUNNER!

Photo from our SPOTLIGHT SYMPOSIUM on THE AFGHAN DIASPORA this past Sunday, with panelists (l-r):

Dr. Thomas Barfield, Nick B. Mills, Matthew Spangler, Najim Azadzoi, and moderator Aaron Schachter of WGBH/PRI’s “The World”

Photo from last night’s Opening Celebration of THE KITE RUNNER with Lydia Diamond (left) playwright of STICK FLY and Matthew Spangler (right), playwright of THE KITE RUNNER.

Photo of Matthew Spangler (left) playwright of THE KITE RUNNER and WGBH reporter Jared Bowen (right) filming a feature on the set of THE KITE RUNNER.

Come see The Kite Runner! Running through Sept 30, 2012. Visit www.newrep.org/kite_runner.php for tickets and show schedule.