Khaled Husseini crams a lot into his novel and this is reflected in this capable adaptation. While puncturing lazy assumptions about Afghanistan, we are served with cowardice, bravery, loyalty, betrayal and eventually redemption, all with strong plotting. There is also a heavy dollop of the effects of class, even across close friendships, together with the toxic effects of tribalism. This is set against the ongoing Afghan tragedy that continues today.
While the story plays out over three generations, the basic plot arc follows the friendship between over-privileged Amir and servant Hassan. While friends in the day, a class hierarchy is reimposed at night. For reasons that Amir cannot quite fathom, his father is distant from him and doesn’t recognise his achievements, particularly his obvious written creativity. By winning a kite flying competition Amir finally achieves his father’s self-esteem, but following this an awful incident occurs that loses Amir his friend and his father something that does not become clear until later. Here we encounter sociopath Assef, Amir’s nemesis.
Following the Russian’s Afghan invasion, Amir’s father sacrifices wealth and privilege for safety and freedom in America. Here Amir grows up finding relative wealth through his writing and a wife. Even in America he finds himself hidebound by Afghanistani codes of behaviour. Meanwhile in that country a tragedy is brewing as the foul and racist Taliban take control. Amir must travel back to recover Hassan’s son Sohrab and gain his own redemption. Assef ensures that a sacrifice must be paid before something akin to happiness can be achieved.
This production canters through a good deal of the book’s plot and bits I thought might be omitted for simplicity were not. I find the novel’s ending quite silly and it is repeated in the play, although it did make rather more sense live for some reason. While the acting was perfectly adequate, the production fell back on one-person narration with Raj Ghatek as Amir illuminated in a single spotlight, and this did seem a bit of a cop out. At times the acting was getting a bit close to being so tragic I was moved to laughter, particularly when Amir repeats the only bit of the Quran he can remember; a couple of times would have done it.
These modern productions mostly seem to have actors in multiple roles. This worked well here too, provided that reality was suspended. Jo Ben Ayed played Hassan and Sohrab with great skill and obvious commitment, but for some reason I did find the voice irritating making the character seem a bit pathetic, in contrast to its incredible bravery in facing down Assef and his loathsome cronies. The side lighting technique used often helped to suspend that reality as the actors skilfully switched between roles. Scenery was simple but effective; one wanted to believe that two packing cases were a car.
Perhaps the biggest issue for me was having such a detestable main character in the first half; one just wants to slap Amir for his shallow condescension, selfishness and cowardice. But then if I was faced with an Assef (even more creepy in the book) I’m not sure I could handle it either. Rahim Khan plays the Jiminy Cricket role in sparking up Amir’s conscience, telling him there is a way to be good again; he is under no illusions about Amir’s weaknesses but sticks by him, having faith in his eventual moral fibre. After more cowardice and prevarication, Amir sets off for Afghanistan there to encounter a destroyed city and culture and a broken state dominated by violence and hypocrisy.
Having read the book I didn’t come to this with the sense of wonder that I usually have at the theatre, but then the fact is I often know basic production plot arcs beforehand. While I enjoyed this and had empathy with the characters and consider this a strong and sophisticated story that’s worth telling, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I might have expected. I was also glad when it finished, but that was partly because I knew the 61 bus was handily due. It was quite a long production.
Despite my few reservations, this production is well worth the investment and thanks to the fine cast. For those of a sensitive disposition, this is a fairly adult production with some rather naughty words.
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