Here he meets Isabelle, and it is in these time shifts that Banks, as Wraysford, really shines. We skip backwards from 1916 to pre-war 1910, as Wraysford visits French factories to learn the business. Wraysford catches him sleeping on duty and so begins the intertwining of the two men’s destinies. In these trenches we meet Jack Firebrace, played with a surprising (at least to me!) subtlety and nuance by Peter Duncan: yes, that Peter Duncan.įirebrace is a “sapper”, responsible for digging tunnels and placing mines to impede the enemy attacks, yet our story starts with him covering sentry duty so the other soldiers can sleep. The 2014 tour of Birdsong, based on director Rachel Wagstaffe’s adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ classic novel, hits York Theatre Royal this week.īirdsong tells the story of a young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford (George Banks), who embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful, married Isabelle (Carolin Stoltz).Īs the war breaks out, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground, while haunted by the memory of the love he once had.Ī visually stunning set greets the audience for this production, featuring a skyline which instantly places you in the trenches of World War One, and yet with some excellent lighting and sound design it transforms into the country house of a wealthy French industrialist. George Banks as Stephen, Carolin Stoltz as Isabelle in Birdsong.

Birdsong sebastian faulks review