Reviewed by Judy Richter
Khaled Hosseini's first novel, "The Kite
Runner,"
was a best seller that was made into a popular movie. Now it has become a stage
play, adapted by Matthew Spangler, an assistant professor of performance studies at San
Jose State University, and being given its world premiere by San Jose
Repertory Theatre.
Those who have read the book say it's a fairly faithful adaptation.
For
someone like me who hasn't read the book or seen the movie, it's a fascinating,
multi-faceted look at the past 30-plus years of the history and culture of
Afghanistan as well as an exploration of friendship and of father-son
relationships. Most of all, it's the story of one man's journey from a youthful
act of cowardice to an adult search for forgiveness and atonement.
Most
members of the 12-person cast portray a variety of characters. The only
exception is Barzin Akhavan, who plays Amir, the central character. During the first
act, he serves as narrator, relating the experiences of his boyhood in Kabul
from 1973 to 1976. In the second act, he's the adult Amir, taking part in the
action, which is set in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pakistan and Afghanistan
between 1981 to 2002. By then he was living in Fremont, Calif., just across the
bay from San Jose. That's where he and his father, along with thousands of
other Afghan refugees, settled after fleeing repression and violence in their
native country. Today Fremont has the largest community of Afghanis in the
nation.
The
plot concerns the close boyhood friendship between Amir (Craig Piaget as the boy), son of a wealthy
businessman and a member of the Pashtun ethnic group, and Hassan (Lowell
Abellon), his
servant and son of his father's servant. Hassan and his father, Ali (James
Saba), are
members of a much lower social class, the Hazaras. Both boys are motherless,
and both are about the same age. Despite their class differences, they're close
friends. They're also a team when it comes to kite-flying contests, a popular
pastime in Kabul. Amir flies his kite with the assistance of Hassan, who also
retrieves the kites that Amir downs. He's the kite runner. Their relationship
changes one fateful day when a teenaged bully, Assef (Adam Yazbeck), and his two sidekicks beat and
sodomize Hassan while Amir watches from a hiding place, unwilling and unable to
intervene.
Hassan
continues to serve Amir, but their friendship is strained. Unable to face
Hassan, Amir campaigns to have his somewhat distant father, Baba (Thomas
Fiscella), send
Hassan and Ali away, but the two leave of their own accord. Soon Amir and Baba
leave, too, in order to escape the violent political upheavals in their
country. Once they've settled in Fremont, Amir marries another Afghan refugee,
Soraya (Rinabeth Apostol). Unable to have children of their own, they decide to adopt.
Eventually, Amir returns to Afghanistan to try to adopt Hassan's orphaned son,
Sohrab (also played by Abellon). Complications arise, including an encounter
with the bully Assef, who now is part of the ruling Taliban.
Despite
the complexities of the plot, this adaptation is easy to follow, thanks to
Spangler's adaptation and David Ira Goldstein's sensitive direction. The
simple set is designed by Vicki Smith with lighting and projections by David Lee
Cuthbert,
costumes by Kish Finnegan and sound by Scott Edwards. The production is accompanied
by composer and tabla player Salar Nader, who sits off to the side of the stage. For the
most part, the acting is outstanding. Besides those mentioned, principals
include Gregor Paslawsky as Rahim Khan, Baba's longtime friend; and Demosthenes
Chrysan as
General Taheri, Soraya's father. One exception is that Yazbeck seems to have
limited range as the bully, Assef. Akhavan, who is onstage during most of the
action, is terrific except in the scene where he's an adult and praying for the
survival of young Sohrab. At this point his fervor borders on hysteria.
It
appeared that many Afghanis, some of them in traditional garb, were at the
opening night performance. The play also has proved so popular at the box
office that it has been extended for a week -- and deservedly so. It's
fascinating and thought-provoking theater.
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