Monday 9 July 2018

Review: New Alexandra Theatre, Birdsong

As the chaplain delivers his final sermon, men of all ranks and stations take their positions: line-abreast; to ladders, to death...

I first saw the stage adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' novel Birdsong in 2013. Five years ago: before I had studied much about the First World War, or war literature; before the 100 years centenary had begun, with all its acts of remembrance. Seeing Birdsong again in 2018 offered not only a chance to see how the production had evolved, but how my perception of it had altered with all that I had learned and experienced over the past years - these poignant years of memorial. Here's my thoughts.