Ian Waller watches a play of two halves and invites the audience to stick at it beyond a turgid start…
If football pundit Gary Lineker had been at the Theatre Royal Bath last night, he might have described Birdsong as a play of two halves. While the first part was largely a turgid, unconvincing affair, the second half sprung to life and showed the skills of the players on display, as well as the heart of the story.
Birdsong is the stage adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’s book of the same name, with this new stage production for 2024 marking the 30th anniversary of the international best-selling novel. The play tells the story of Stephen Waysford (James Esler) as he falls in love with Isabelle Azaire (Charlie Russell), the wife of his host and the owner of a factory in France that Waysford has been sent out to report on. When the couple’s affair is discovered, they run away together before Isabelle leaves Stephen and he become embroiled in the horrors of trench warfare in World War One.
Unfortunately the play’s adaptation misses the essence of the book. Yes, it tells the story but fails to keep the heart and emotions of the original tale. This sees the first part of the production dissolving into an over-long, often poorly portrayed effort complete with the most superfluous and cringey sex scene.
However, thankfully things do improve considerably after the interval with the story moving to the trenches of France and Stephen’s new role as an officer overseeing a group of soldiers and sappers preparing for one last big push. The introduction of Max Bowden as tunneller Jack Firebrace and Tama Phethean as Shaw raises the play up several notches, both producing scene-stealing performances that bring a humanity and passion to the production.
Suddenly the story has a heart and a reason, and while the whole futilities of war angle and silhouettes of the soldiers as they go over the top is a somewhat cliched style offering these days, it is still handled with genuine feeling and skill.
Birdsong appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Monday 25th to Saturday 30th November. To book tickets call the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit theatreroyal.org.uk