Homebody/Kabul

View books by Tony Kushner.

Extraordinary and outstanding play - Rated
I have seen this as well as read it now, and it is an amazing tour de force. Kushner is taking over the mantle of Arthur Miller and perhaps surpassing it. Where Miller is the master of the straight play, Kushner takes inspiration from all the developments in fringe and performance theatre since the 1980s to create extraordinary, challenging drama that provokes and amuses in equal measure.

Homebody/Kabul is an amazing play for so many reasons: first of all, here is an American writing eloquently for the British voice - and the Afghan voice. Secondly, the first hour of this play is a monologue for a mature actress. Structurally, this makes this play incredibly interesting, particularly as the play unfolds and we see how the dramatist uses the information delivered to the audience in the Act 1 monologue in the subsequent acts. Then, in Act 2, there is one of the most heart-rending, amazing speeches ever written in theatre, spoken by an educated Afghan woman in a bizarre blend of European and Asian languages, an aria of pain and confusion and bitterness. This is not mention the fine parts written for the drug-raddled Westerner stranded in Kabul and the emotionally-stifled husband of the monologist, whose opium-fuelled riffs are hilarious and painful - the only time I've ever seen drug-induced highs interestingly portrayed on stage.

This is a wonderful play. I happen to think it is even better than Kushner's great triumph, Angels in America I & II, because it is tighter, even more intense and totally committed. It is a play that resonates with erudition, compassion, sensitivity and is a testament to the power of the pen.