It has been many years since I read Sebastian Faulks’ modern classic Birdsong, but I recall that the story moved me very much back then and so I was excited to see this theatre production to mark 30 years since the book’s release.
It is a story of war, love, loss and hope and particularly excels in giving an unflinching account of the horrors of the First World War, most notably of life in the trenches and man-made tunnels that ran 60 feet below ground on the Western Front.
The story is told in three acts and starts with the lead character Stephen Wraysford, a young English factory supervisor sent to France before the war, where he stays with a tyrannical factory boss Rene Azaire, his tormented wife Isabelle Azaire played by Charlie Russell, and daughter Lisette. Wraysford soon finds himself involved in a steamy affair with Isabelle and the pair run away together. Family friend Berard played by Roger Ringrose brings some welcome light humour into the mix.
Act Two jumps ahead a few years to the Allied trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. A dispirited Wraysford has lost the love of his life and carries the pain with him into his life as an army officer. Wraysford is played by James Esler who does an excellent job in transitioning from the doting young Wraysford to the bitter Army Officer he becomes. Playwright Rachel Wagstaff does a fantastic job of bringing the extreme hardship of life in the trenches to the stage.
The final act reunites Wraysford and Isabelle but will they get their ‘happy ever after’?
The set is quite minimal but very effective with excellent use of sound and lighting, as it puts focus on the characters with little distraction. The story poses important questions of existentialism, the pointlessness of war, the human psyche when tested to the extreme and ultimately our resilience and hope, and for that reason I would highly recommend you go and see it.
Birdsong runs at Leeds Playhouse until Saturday 21 September 2024. Age guidance: 15+. Full details and tickets at: www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/birdsong/
This post was written by reader Gurmail Rathore in return for two free tickets, as part of South Leeds Goes To The Playhouse.
Photo: James Esler and Charlie Russell in Original Theatre’s touring production of Birdsong. Credit: Pamela Raith Photography
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