Selling Kabul
80

Selling Kabul NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%
(59 Reviews)
Positive
90%
Mixed
8%
Negative
2%
Members say
Intense, Absorbing, Relevant, Great acting, Thought-provoking

A new thriller tracking the human cost of immigration policy.

Read more Show less

Member Reviews (59)

Sort by:
  • Default
  • Standing in our community
  • Highest first
  • Lowest first
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Only positive
  • Only negative
  • Only mixed
913 Reviews | 929 Followers
75
Some illogical writing, Well acted, Thought-provoking, Relevant

See it if Interesting and absorbing story with some very intelligent reveals. Very well acted.

Don't see it if Some illogical writing, really doesn't make sense and severely detracts from the natural flow of characters' actions & audience enjoyment

888 Reviews | 1017 Followers
78
Intense, Uneven, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Absorbing

See it if You enjoy family dramas. Felt it was strongest during the intense/suspenseful moments. Really well done with great performances.

Don't see it if You can look past plot holes. Some story choices didn't make sense. Was disappointed in the ending, wish they took in different direction

1025 Reviews | 423 Followers
82
Intelligent, Absorbing, Great acting, Thought-provoking, Relevant

See it if You want to see an example of how the war in Afghanistan had more layers than we could have ever begun to understand. Tense. Terrific drama.

Don't see it if You’re looking for something light and fluffy or something that’s not going to challenge you a little. Read more

891 Reviews | 259 Followers
80
Intense, Relevant, Great writing, Great staging, Great acting

See it if you want to experience the sound and sight of living in fear when promises are broken and lives are threatened - you will feel the tension.

Don't see it if you are bothered by loud sound that opens & then ends the play or you cannot sit through a one act loaded with tension among the characters.

715 Reviews | 108 Followers
92
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Relevant, Intense

See it if you like a powerful and intense drama.I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Great acting and script.

Don't see it if you don't like a tense drama. Read more

650 Reviews | 284 Followers
79
Brings to life as a family drama the tragic fate of those afghanis who helped the americans but then were abandoned to the taliban, with that fate extending to their family & friends

See it if gripping & unrelenting; explosive ending; shows compromises & duplicity req’d for survival; good ensemble esp Marjan Neshat as heroic sister

Don't see it if ending stuffs way too much into it; melodramatic & at times strains credulity; script functional not elevating Read more

655 Reviews | 129 Followers
78
Great writing, Intense, Great acting

See it if Family dramas that is intense about living in fear and war.

Don't see it if You want a light and happy show.

505 Reviews | 729 Followers
78
Thought-provoking, Intense, Riveting, Resonant, Relevant

See it if you’re looking for a show that’s relevant to current events or are a news junkie.

Don't see it if you’d rather be blind to the struggles of people outside our borders (even though we cause many of those struggles).

Critic Reviews (5)

Lighting & Sound America
December 7th, 2021

In Selling Kabul, Khoury employs the basic tools of stage thrillers to evoke the plight of a family caught in deadly political crossfire… As tense and involving as Selling Kabul is, however, one wishes that certain inconsistencies had been ironed out in the months since its thwarted March 2020 debut… Still, Khoury is a talent to watch.
Read more

New York Stage Review
December 6th, 2021

"Khoury’s achievement is unmistakable...Since Selling Kabul is a high-wire drama, worse developments befall Taroon, Afiya, Jawid, and Layla. The four are a row of vertical dominoes collapsing, though no further shocks will be itemized here. It’s enough to say “drama” hardly begins to describe what goes on. Even moments of melodrama poke through. Aside from Layla’s initial visit and an exchange between Taroon and Jawid towards fade-out, bickering and outright knockdown-drag-outs dominate."
Read more

TheaterScene.net
December 6th, 2021

Will a former Afghani U.S. Armed Forces interpreter get himself and his family out of the country before he’s captured by the Taliban in 2013? This is the crux of playwright Sylvia Khoury’s gripping, thoughtful and suspenseful drama, Selling Kabul. In a straight through 100 minutes, Ms. Khoury crafts an accessible overview of that conflict, sets up a compelling story and employs a classic plot device. Khoury’s smooth passionate dialogue imparts exposition and biographical details while advancing action with technical accomplishment.
Read more

Front Row Center
December 14th, 2021

"With “Selling Kabul” playwright Sylvia Khoury gives us a thoughtful, riveting exploration of the human costs of war once the fight is over for the state, but ongoing for the individuals decommissioned from the effort – on every level."
Read more

New York Theater
December 6th, 2021

As timely as the drama might be, I think it would be a mistake for theatergoers to rely on “Selling Kabul” as a source of information about Afghanistan or the U.S. involvement there. Rather, it is a twisty drama that benefits from a fine production ….an increasingly taut weave that tightens around the characters’ necks. If you look too closely, though, there are some holes in that weave
Read more