Award Winning Adaptation of The Kite Runner Returns to the Theatre Royal Stage
The Kite Runner, adapted by Matthew Spangler from Khaled Hosseni’s award winning novel, and directed by Giles Croft, is set to visit Newcastle Theatre Royal (Tue 25 – Sat 29 Jun 2024), the unforgettable, theatrical tour de force returns to the region as its penultimate venue on its UK tour.
This compelling production explores themes of friendship, betrayal, and redemption amidst Afghanistan’s turbulent history. Based on Khaled Hosseini’s international bestselling novel, this haunting tale of friendship spans cultures and continents and follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption.
Afghanistan is a country on the verge of war and best friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul, the skies are full of colour and the streets are full of the excitement of a kite flying tournament, but neither Hassan nor Amir can foresee the terrible incident that will shatter their lives forever.
Originally published in 2003, The Kite Runner was Khaled Hosseini’s first novel. It became an instant bestseller and has since been published in 70 countries, selling over 30 million copies in 60 languages.
One Broadway season and two West End seasons have garnered international acclaim for this incredibly powerful story and Stuart Vincent (Amir), Dean Rehman (Baba), Bhavin Bhatt (Assef), Tiran Aakel (Ali/Farid), Ian Abeyesekera (Gen Taheri), Christopher Glover (Ramin Khan), Stanton Wright (Wali) all rejoin the cast of The Kite Runner for this UK tour.
Making their first appearances in the production are Yazdan Qafouri, who will star as Hassan/Sohrab, Daphne Kouma as Soraya and Aram Mardourian as Kamal, with Amar Aggoun and Sulin Hasso as Ensemble.
Hanif Khan has been the resident Tabla player on The Kite Runner since 2013. His career has included international performances in Europe, the Middle East and North America as well as UK wide performances including prestigious concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Opera House, Edinburgh International Festival, Glastonbury, and Womad festival.
Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and history at a high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then their homeland had witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet Army. The Hosseini's sought and were granted political asylum in the United States, and in September 1980 moved to San Jose, California, where he still lives.
Matthew Spangler is a playwright, director, and professor based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who’s other plays include one-person shows of James Joyce’s Dubliners and Finnegan’s Wake; A Paradise It Seems, an adaptation of John Cheever’s short stories; as well as stage adaptations of John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway’s fiction.
The Kite Runner is a story about a father and son; a story about two best friends; a love story; a story about transnational immigration and refugees; class and ethnicity. According to Spangler, “It's a story of guilt and redemption. In some sense Amir’s narrative is a plea for forgiveness – from the audience, as well as from himself.”
The Kite Runner plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tue 25 – Sat 29 June. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.
Image: The Kite Runner, Photo by Barry Rivett
