Birdsong (play)

Last updated

Birdsong was a 2010 adaptation of the novel of the same title by Sebastian Faulks. The text was written by Rachel Wagstaff and the premiere production was directed by Trevor Nunn. That production began previews at the Comedy Theatre in London on September 18, 2010, and opened on September 28, 2010. The West End stage production's cast included Ben Barnes as Stephen Wraysford, Genevieve O'Reilly as Isabelle, Nicholas Farrell as René Azaire, Iain Mitchell as Bérard, Lee Ross as Jack Firebrace and Zoe Waites as Jeanne. Other cast members included Owain Arthur, Billy Carter, Florence Hall, Paul Hawkyard, Gregg Lowe, Joe Coen, Jack Hawkins, James Staddon and Annabel Topham. [1] The play closed on January 15, 2011. The play reopened January 31, 2018 with its last show being performed July 21, 2018. [2]

2018 cast and crew

Related Research Articles

Royal National Theatre Theatre in London, England

The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. Internationally, it is known as the National Theatre of Great Britain. It was founded by Laurence Olivier.

Sir Trevor Robert Nunn is a British theatre director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas for the stage, like Macbeth, as well as opera and musicals, such as Cats (1981) and Les Misérables (1985).

<i>Pippin</i> (musical) Musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Pippin is a 1972 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance.

Robert Lindsay is an English stage and TV actor. His first major role on TV was playing Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith. He appeared in sitcoms, most notably as Ben Harper in My Family, playing the role for over a decade, and narrated TV adaptations of the children's television series Brambly Hedge. His films include Fierce Creatures, Wimbledon. He appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in musical theatre. He won a BAFTA, a Tony Award, and three Olivier Awards for his work.

Sebastian Faulks British journalist and novelist

Sebastian Charles Faulks is a British novelist, journalist and broadcaster. He is best known for his historical novels set in France – The Girl at the Lion d'Or, Birdsong and Charlotte Gray. He has also published novels with a contemporary setting, most recently A Week in December (2009) and Paris Echo, (2018) and a James Bond continuation novel, Devil May Care (2008), as well as a continuation of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves series, Jeeves and the Wedding Bells (2013). He was a team captain on BBC Radio 4 literary quiz The Write Stuff.

<i>Birdsong</i> (novel) novel by Sebastian Faulks

Birdsong is a 1993 war novel and family saga by the English author Sebastian Faulks. It is Faulks's fourth novel. The plot follows two main characters living at different times: the first is Stephen Wraysford, a British soldier on the front line in Amiens during the First World War, and the second is his granddaughter, Elizabeth Benson, whose 1970s plotline follows her attempts to recover an understanding of Stephen's experience of the war.

Imogen Stubbs, Lady Nunn is an English actress and writer.

<i>The Coast of Utopia</i> trilogy of plays

The Coast of Utopia is a 2002 trilogy of plays: Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage, written by Tom Stoppard with focus on the philosophical debates in pre-revolution Russia between 1833 and 1866. It was the recipient of the 2007 Tony Award for Best Play. The title comes from a chapter in Avrahm Yarmolinsky's book Road to Revolution: A Century of Russian Radicalism (1959).

Phoenix Theatre, London West End theatre in London, England

The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located in Charing Cross Road. The entrances are on Phoenix Street and Charing Cross Road. The Phoenix Theatre was built on the site of a former factory and then music hall Alcazar before.

Ben Barnes (actor) British actor and singer

Benjamin Thomas Barnes is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia film series, Logan Delos in Westworld, and Billy Russo in The Punisher. He is set to star in the upcoming Netflix series Shadow and Bone.

Menier Chocolate Factory theatre in Southwark, London, England, formerly a chocolate factory

The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat off-West End theatre, which comprises a restaurant, bar and rehearsal rooms.

Mark Umbers is an English theatre, film and television actor.

Joseph Daniel Turner Mawle is an English actor. Mawle is best known for his roles as Benjen Stark in Game of Thrones, Detective Inspector Jedediah Shine in Ripper Street, Firebrace in Birdsong, Jesus Christ in The Passion and Odysseus in Troy: Fall of a City.

The Marlowe Society is a Cambridge University theatre club for Cambridge students. It is dedicated to achieving a high standard of student drama at Cambridge. The society celebrated its centenary over three years (2007–2009) and in 2008 there was a production by the society of a version of Comus written by Australian poet and playwright John Kinsella.

Jessie Buckley Irish actress

Jessie Buckley is an Irish actress and singer. Her career began in 2008 as a contestant on the BBC TV talent show I'd Do Anything in which she placed second. In the same year she appeared in the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music. She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which she graduated in 2013. Buckley's early onscreen appearances include roles for BBC television series: Marya Bolkonskaya the 2016 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (2016), Lorna Bow in Taboo (2017) and Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White (2018).

Anita Louise Combe Australian actress, singer, dancer

Anita Louise Combe is an Australian actress, singer, dancer who has worked extensively in the entertainment industry all around the world. Combe attended the Gwen Mackay School of Dancing and trained in the Cechetti method of ballet with Jennifer Pollard in Adelaide, South Australia before making her first professional appearance on stage as Sillabub in the Australian Premiere Production of Cats at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. She is one of the few people in the world to date who has played both roles of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in the production of Chicago in the West End. Anita created the role of Stephanie Mangano in the World Premiere Production of Saturday Night Fever opposite fellow Australian, Adam Garcia and produced by Adelaide born, Robert Stigwood.

<i>Birdsong</i> (serial) British TV serial

Birdsong is a two-part British 2012 television drama, based on the 1993 war novel Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. It stars Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Wraysford and Clémence Poésy as Isabelle Azaire and was directed by Philip Martin based on a screenplay by Abi Morgan.

Birdsong was a three-part radio adaptation by Nick Stafford of the novel of the same title by Sebastian Faulks. It was first broadcast in the Classic Serial strand on BBC Radio 4 on 27 October, 3 November, and 10 November 1997. It was directed by Claire Grove. Its cast included Toby Stephens, Sophie Ward, John Rowe, Gavin Muir, and Rachel Atkins.

Jack Hawkins is an English actor, known for his work on the BBC One series Call The Midwife and the HBO Max series Raised by Wolves.

Freddy Carter is an English actor. From 2017 to 2019, he starred in the Netflix drama series Free Rein as Pin Hawthorne. He is set to star as Kaz Brekker in the upcoming Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone.

References

  1. "Casting: Birdsong Starring Ben Barnes". West End Theatre. 9 August 2010.
  2. http://www.birdsongthetour.com/#/cast/4569813377, Birdsong Official Website
  3. Birdsong official website
  4. Birdsong: Behind the Scenes