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 multi award-winning 2021 film version starring Tom Prior that premiered at BFI Flare: London’s LGBTQI+ Film Festival, and the publication of the English translation of the original memoir.
Cast:
Robert Eades (Johnny Weissmuller in the film Young Woman & the Sea, Mo Dix in Bad Education).
Nigel Hastings (The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 & 2, Park Theatre, Jeff in the hit two-hander And Then Come the Night Jars, first at Theatre503, two successful UK tours, and in a film adaptation).
Sorcha Kennedy (Rainer – Offie-nominated Lead Performance in a Play, Arcola Theatre, and Scarlet Sunday, at Omnibus Theatre).
Theo Walker (Coming Clean, Turbine Theatre, 1 million+ followers on TikTok, 330k+ followers Instagram).
Creative team:
Director Owen Lewis
Design by Gregor Donnelly
Lighting by Clancy Flynn
Sound by Jac Cooper
Intimacy Coordinator Jess Tucker Boyd
Casting Marc Frankum CDG
Produced by James Seabright
Producer James Seabright said: “I’m excited to be marking the first birthday of the new King’s Head Theatre with the world premiere stage version of FIREBIRD, which won such widespread acclaim as a film by Peeter Rebane and Tom Prior that I felt compelled to contact them and was delighted to secure the stage rights, allowing me to commission this adaptation by Richard Hough. His play chillingly evokes the Soviet Union in the Cold War, in a powerful and moving true story of forbidden
gay love brought to life by a cast of four in Owen Lewis’ production.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here
