An opera based on the popular novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns,' which is set in Afghanistan, is making its world debut in Seattle.
Maureen McKay, left, who portrays Laila, John Moore, who portrays Rasheed, and Karin Mushegain, who portrays Mariam, perform in a dress rehearsal for the opera"A Thousand Splendid Suns," in Seattle, on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. Making its world debut Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, it is based on a popular novel by Kabul-born author Khaled Hosseini that explores the inner worlds of Mariam and Laila over decades of Afghan history, some with stark parallels to the present.
It was supposed to be a story of a bygone era -- until the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 dramatically changed that. “I was actually never thinking that one day I will leave Afghanistan,” the 39-year-old said. “When I heard this news, I was in shock. And I just said: ‘no, no, no, it’s not possible.’... It was like watching a terrible movie.”“Suddenly, the topic changed in my mind, that ‘Oh my God, now this story is going to repeat again. Now, maybe, a thousand Laila and Mariam are going to be in the same situation,’” she said.
Mariam and Laila have captured the imagination of composer Sheila Silver for a long time. She felt like she knew them and wanted to tell their story. She listened to the book in 2009 and recalled tears streaming down her face as one of the women faced her death.
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