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Birdsong embarks on major national tour from January

Following 2010's West End premiere, a new production of Rachel Wagstaff's adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' bestselling novel Birdsong will tour the UK from January.

Directed by Alastair Whatley, Birdsong will visit 22 venues across the UK, opening on 25 January 2013 at The Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke.

The cast will be led by Jonathan Smith (Stephen Wraysford) and Sarah Jayne Dunn (Isabelle Azaire), best known for her long-running portrayal of Mandy Richardson in Hollyoaks.

They'll be joined by: Arthur Bostrom, Charlie G Hawkins, Joshua Higgott, Polly Hughes, Malcolm James, Liam McCormick, Poppy Roe, Jonathan Smith, Emily Stride, Tim Treloar and Tim Van Eyken.

The production arrives in the wake of the recent announcement of a national commemoration ceremony of the centenary of the start of World War I, to be held on Remembrance Day, 2014. Sebastian Faulks, whose other novels include Charlotte Gray and The Girl at the Lion D'or, will be on the advisory board for the event.

Sarah Jayne Dunn (photo: Dan Wooller)

Rachel Wagstaff commented: “Birdsong is in an incredibly powerful novel, and through the story of Faulks' fictional characters, we can understand what it might have been like for individuals caught up in this most extraordinary period of world history.

"Given the approaching centenary and the passing away of Harry Patch, the last surviving British Army Veteran to have fought in the Great War, it seems more important than ever that the courage and sacrifices of those who fought and fell for future generations are not only remembered, but understood.”

Birdsong opens in pre-war France, where young Englishman Stephen Wraysford embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with his host's wife, Isabelle Azaire. As civil unrest mounts and war breaks in on the idyll of his former life, Stephen finds he must now lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground.

Wagstaff’s adaptation was first seen at the Comedy Theatre (now the Harold Pinter) in 2010, directed by Trevor Nunn. More recently Birdsong was adapted for TV by Abi Morgan for a BBC1 series starring Eddie Redmayne and Clémence Poésy.

The tour, which is produced by Original Theatre Company & Birdsong Productions Ltd, will visit: Coventry, Blackpool, High Wycombe, Cardiff, Guildford, Southend, Plymouth, Ipswich, Bath, Glasgow, Derby, Bracknell, Crawley, Truro, Northampton, Canterbury, Nottingham, Norwich, Milton Keynes and Brighton.

- by Theo Bosanquet

Related Content

Internal Links
	Birdsong - 29th Sep 2010 Reviews
	Review Round-up: Critics Hear Sweet Birdsong - 29th Sep 2010 Roundup
	1st Night Photos: Faulks Tunes up Birdsong Opening - 29th Sep 2010 Photos
	Cast: Farrell & O'Reilly Hear Birdsong, Wanderlust - 9th Aug 2010 News
	Ben Barnes Back on Stage in Birdsong Premiere - 18th Jun 2010 News
	Birdsong (Plymouth - tour) - 19th Mar 2013 reviews
	Birdsong (tour - Basingstoke Haymarket Theatre) - 25th Jan 2013 reviews
External Links
	www.birdsongthetour.com