Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...Sometimes, in Signature Theatre's mounting of Sylvia Khoury's drama, the wheels grind too sluggishly, and the air in the company's smaller space, the Ark, begins to feel oppressive. What the work directed by Shadi Ghaheri could use more of is a tension that builds reliably to its nail-biting climax, and deeper insights into its characters. As it is, Taroon (played by Mazin Akar), Afiya (Awesta Zarif) and the others are enmeshed in a story that attempts little more than a "Homeland"-style series of paranoia-building intrigues."
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...The Afghanistan-set drama by Sylvia Khoury, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022, draws us fully inside the humble, endangered lives of Taroon (Mazin Azar), a translator desperately awaiting a visa to flee Kabul, and his sister Afiya (Awesta Zarif). Afiya, along with husband Jawid (Yousof Sultani), risks freedom and safety by hiding Taroon from the Taliban, and from the couple's nosy neighbor, Leyla (Neagheen Homaifar)."
BroadwayWorld - Highly Recommended
"...Covering a topic as fraught as the US involvement in Afghanistan can be difficult and deeply painful, but Signature's production of Selling Kabul manages to be honest, unflinching, and compassionate without losing sight of who matters in its tale. It's not the easiest show to watch, especially as we still grapple with our own role in the tragedy that this family is living, but it's beautifully portrayed, and incredibly important."
Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended
"...In the sure hands of Ghaheri and her exceptional cast, Signature's production of Selling Kabul is the rare slice of "kitchen sink realism" that truly clarifies what, to many, is so often abstract. It's especially appropriate that the play centers the demands placed on one's hosts, as the onus is now on the U.S. government to pour a glass of tea and welcome those who risked everything to aid it-and those who were displaced in the process. The rest of us can consult the list of Impactful Organizations provided by Signature or at the very least make plans to see this vital show for ourselves."
DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended
"...As the urgency ratchets up and surprises are revealed, the story becomes a heart-stopping and emotionally wrenching journey as true as true. The play asks us, what other voices from Afghanistan are out there? And is there more we should do?"
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...Director Shadi Ghaheri has assembled an exceptional cast. Yousof Sultani (Jawid) deftly portrays a man who wrestles with the choices he has made in an impossible situation and the deep shame and regret that plague him. Neagheen Homaifar (Leyla) initially appears to be nothing more than a nosy neighbor until finally revealing the truth of her situation in a burst of emotional intensity. Awesta Zarif (Afiya) is the devoted sister, at times expressing concern and at others, demonstrating great restraint, until finally losing her cool when the stress overwhelms her. Mazin Akar (Taroon) embodies the risk-taking idealist who makes brave, but sometimes reckless choices."
Theatre Bloom - Highly Recommended
"...The year is now 2023. The United States started withdrawing troops from Afghanistan two years ago as the Taliban took control; Afghans are fleeing the country. Again. How can a decade have passed and a harrowing event impacting millions still be happening as if nothing has changed in ten years' time. In the stunning production of Sylvia Khoury's Selling Kabul now at Signature Theatre, as a part of the SigWorks: The Heidi Thomas Writers' Initiative (producing new works by women playwrights with women directors) you see exactly that. The play itself is set and staged in 2013. Except for a brief clip of President Obama on the television screen, it could easily read as the perfect mirror of events happening in present day times. Directed by Shadi Ghaheri, this stunning, suspenseful, and intensely evocative production is an eye-opening experience and a gateway to join the conversation about human rights at a global level."
