Birdsong

Synopsis

A mesmerising story of love, courage and sacrifice is now brought to the stage in this critically acclaimed version of Sebastian Faulks's bestselling novel. An epic tale of love and war set both before and during the Great War. In pre war France, a young Englishman Stephen Wraysford embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their world upside down. As the war breaks out over the idyll of his former life, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep under ground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle as his world explodes around him.

Our Review:

Karen Bussell - 19 March 2013

Mixed feelings: I so wanted to become totally absorbed in Birdsong which was competently executed on a fantastic atmospheric set but something was missing. Such a shame.

I have not read the book (or seen the TV series) but have to assume Sebastian Faulks’s novel is so beautifully written that playwright Rachel Wagstaff couldn’t resist keeping some of the narrative intact. Unfortunately that leads to characters seemingly posturing while their oration slows the pace.

The adaptation is otherwise sound. Scenes switching between the claustrophobic tunnels deep below Great War enemy lines in blood-soaked France, elegant pre-War Amiens, trenches and bars, tell the story in a stuttering series of episodes and flashbacks. But what was that with the ritualistic dance-y lovemaking scene? Odd.

Newcomer Jonathan Smith (LAMDA graduate 2010; Cut Loose) is a convincing Stephen Wraysford (shame about the oratory) – the young lovestruck officer lea...

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