FIREBIRD
King’s Head Theatre
9th Jan to 9th Feb 2025

“Drawing on a true-life Cold War story, FIREBIRD follows a handsome, soulful young soldier who embarks on a clandestine affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on an Air Force Base in Soviet-occupied Estonia at the height of 1970s Communist rule. The story comes to the stage for the first time after an acclaimed film by Peeter Rebane and Tom Prior (2021).”

Review by Richard Lambert, 4 Stars

With a stark departure from Seabright’s usual style of productions, FIREBIRD has raised the bar at the new King’s Head Theatre. Almost exactly one year on from opening the new King’s Head, 4 storeys below ground level, and after a year of a whirlwind of productions dizzyingly hard to keep up with, this one has taken flight and beautifully landed for a short run of only 4 weeks. It follows in the LGBTI+ genre that the new King’s Head appear to have embraced.

This play is a cropped down version of the film which was in proportion quite epic. Managing to portray this monumental story with a cast of only 4 has worked exceedingly well. The cast are phenomenal, perfectly cast in their roles, and magnificent in their portrayal. Each and every one charismatically holding their own and each on their individual journey that intertwine. Even the Colonel (Nigel Hastings) has character development and his humanity shines to amplify the emotional tug of the play.

Sorcha Kennedy plays the wife struggling to hold it all together. What does she know, what doesn’t she know? Her musings on the men around her inner circle, and society in general, both enlightening and concerning in it’s accuracy.

The lead roles played by Robert Eades and Theo Walker are so well matched. Their physicality has to be seen to be believed. Oozing handsome with chiselled jaws and washboard abs. It’s easy to see why they’re drawn to each other and a match made in heaven – a love that must be hidden.

The set is simple and effective although the scene changes occasionally felt a little laboured. The sound design and soundscape worked very well and the lighting design of course exceptionally engineered and executed by the brilliant Clancy Flynn.

The emotional engagement, the relationship risks played out, the concealments and the revelations make this a gripping piece of theatre. The final scene will tug at your heart strings. Don’t miss Firebird!

Photo credit: Geraint Lewis

Cast

Robert Eades | Roman Matvejev
Nigel Hastings | Alexei Kuznetsov
Sorcha Kennedy | Luisa Jannsen
Theo Walker | Sergey Serebrennikov

CAST & CREATIVES

Writer | Richard Hough
Based on the memoir by Sergey Fetisov and the screenplay by Peeter Rebane & Tom Prior
Director | Owen Lewis
Designer | Gregor Donnelly
Lighting Designer | Clancy Flynn
Sound Designer & Composer | Jac Cooper
Intimacy Coordinator | Jess Tucker Boyd
Fight Director | MC_Combat (Maisie Carter & Emily Evans)
Casting Director | Marc Frankum CDG
Producer | Seabright Live Ltd

Tickets and further information: Click here