Broadway's The Kite Runner has announced its cast and creative team for the upcoming production. Set to begin previews July 6, the show will officially open July 21 and run through October 30.
Leading the cast will be Amir Arison (The Blacklist) as Amir and Faran Tahir (Othello) as Baba. They will be joined by Danish Farooqui (The Blacklist) as Wali/Doctor, Azita Ghanizada (United States of AL) as Soraya, Joe Joseph (The Band's Visit) as Merchant/Russian Soldier, Dariush Kashani (The Band's Visit) as Rahim Khan, Beejan Land (Rock the Kabash) as Kamal/Zaman, Amir Malaklou (Viper Club) as Assef, Eric Sirakian (The Jungle) as Hassan/Sohrab, Houshang Touzie (The Tibetan Book of the Dead) as General Taheri, and Evan Zes (The King Stag) as Ali/Farid.
Christine Mirzayan will join the ensemble and Salar Nader will play the tabla, a percussion instrument. Understudies include Demosthenes Chrysan for Baba, Taheri, and Ali, Joe Joseph for Assef, Kamal/Zaman, and Wali/Doctor, Dea Julien for Hassan/Sohrab, Christine Mirzayan for Soraya, Haris Pervaiz for General, and Alex Purcell for Amir.
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini follows Amir from a young boy living in Kabul, Afghanistan, who finds ways of escaping the terrible events unfolding around him through to adulthood as he searches for atonement in an exploration of father-son relationships and friendships. The bestselling novel was published in 2003, and has since been sold 31.5 million copies published in 70 countries. Matthew Spangler has adapted the novel for the stage.
The production comes to New York after premiering in the U.K., including two runs in London’s West End. Giles Croft will direct, having previously directed the production in the U.K., and will be joined on the creative team by scenic and costume designer Barney George, lighting designer Charles Balfour, sound designer Drew Baumohl, projection designer William Simpson, composer and musical supervisor Jonathan Girling, movement director Kitty Winter, casting director Laura Stanczyk, cultural advisor and script consultant Humaira Ghilzai, and associate director Damian Sandys.
The work is produced by Victoria Lang, Ryan Bogner and Tracey McFarland of Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, and Jayne Baron Sherman in association with UK Productions Ltd. and Flying Entertainment Ltd/Kilimanjaro Group Ltd. Daryl Roth serves as executive producer.
