Relative Discomfort

Among siblings, there’s always a “good one” and a “bad one.” Mariah Carey’s sister was pegged for prostitution. Alec Baldwin’s little bro Daniel has drug issues. And singer Chynna Phillips’ half-sister claims she slept with their dad. Eew.

If you think that’s bad, catch Arizona Theatre Company’s The Kite Runner. In the show, set in Afghanistan and based on Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling novel, protagonist Amir fails to protect his half-brother Hassan from a brutal beating and rape by another boy, and then falsely accuses him of stealing.

Why sit though this emotional roller coaster? “The characters in The Kite Runner all struggle with the most basic of human emotions: love, envy, fear, joy, guilt,” says ATC artistic director David Ira Goldstein. “In Amir's struggles, we all recognize our own failings, and in his redemption we discover a hopeful way forward.”

Plus, his sins make us look like saints.

Thu., Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 9, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 10, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 11, 1 & 7 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Oct. 15, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 16, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 17, 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 18, 1 & 7 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 23, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 24, 4 & 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 25, 1 p.m., 2009