"The Birds" by Conor McPherson (22 -25 Jun 2022)

Poster

Welcome to our production of The Birds. This is a version of the famous tale that many will not know, Alfred Hitchcock’s film straying much further from the source material, Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story, than Conor McPherson’s play. Like that story, our play is a tense psychodrama that focuses on the people at the centre of our world — you will undoubtedly notice that the one thing missing from cast list are actual birds. 

And yet du Maurier and McPherson (The Girl from The North Country, The Weir) have constructed a world that is at once horrifying and yet all-too possible. 

Indeed, how much more real has it become since we first started work on this in late 2019, shortly after returning from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? Flushed with our success there, we decided to go back the following year in 2020, but…

​And today, our play, which in 2019 spoke primarily to the overarching issue of climate change, is now an urgent warning about something we have all experienced: nature turning on humans. More than that it asks how we treat each other in the direst of circumstances, a question we may need to answer sooner rather than later.

Reviews

London Shows
Link to Mark Aspen Review

"We thought you were all TERRIFIC, and the play was such a good choice - suspenseful to the very end!  We all enjoyed it a lot! 

Stardom at the Edinburgh Festival surely awaits you .. and we wish you every success !
Thank you both, and the rest of the cast as well as those behind the scenes - for giving us such a super evening …" Liza B

"I’m left with the warm glow of a great show and wonderful camaraderie. 
Knew the play would be brilliant, and it was!! 🙌" Teena H

"What a brilliant performance, the heat in the theatre bringing another great prompt to the feeling of ever increasing pressure. A really interesting play on survival , paranoia, mental illness and relationships. David Burles was so funny bringing some temporary respite and then threatening . And Arabella Harcourt-Cooze what a performance!!! holding the stage for 80 minutes like she did and going from kind to heartbroken to manipulative like a proper Hitchcock character (sometimes her way of walking reminded me of the terrifying Mrs Danvers in Rebecca)! The whole cast of 4 works beautifully in the constant flux of alliances and conflicts" Nic T

“It was excellent. I really liked the set and the music, the four actors were brilliant, the play really made me think. It was a totally professional quality production.” Marietta S

"The performances were stand out. Arabella Harcourt-Cooze's performance as Diane was superbly nuanced, Neil Dickins as Nat was wonderfully feverish. Georgina Parren was the ideal Julia and David Burles as Tierney was a stand out part."  Lucy D

"We really did enjoy tonight, very well done and performed. A very good show, and great recordings!" Caron B 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Well done all at SMP ..you always deliver….." Rosemary P
Fringe Reviews
"Excellent gripping performance. Engaging throughout and the characters were brought to life beautifully. Thoroughly enjoyed it!" Hannah Naylor-Vane

"You’ve got to see this. Well acted and scripted. Challenging and relevant to where we are today." Susan Pyle

"My dad did an AMAZING job at directing The Birds, I thought that it was heavy and intense, also, I loved the acting and it’s making me motivated to take part in acting in more plays to take up to Edinburg, Scotland." Audrey Smith

"So Well Done !  Really well acted - suspenseful throughout. Clever directing creating effective birds terror and suspense. A four star drama illustrating fear and social consequences of apocalypse. Don’t miss it." Barb Parsons

"A compelling suspenseful story enhanced by a talented cast. I thought it was great" Ernest Balmer

"Four star show for sure. Gripping ‘what would you do?’ end of the world drama. Sensitively acted, creatively directed. See it!" Annie S

A must see! Read the book, seen the film , so had to watch the play! Fantastic slick performance by all the cast. Gripping show throughout!" Imogen M

"Tension, suspense, fear. Tangled motives, shifting relationships. Suspicion, trust, lust, love (is it?). Partnership, survival, humanity. What is the purpose of all our striving? All that, and the occasional laugh. What more do you want from a well produced and well acted 50 minutes? Go and see it." Phil Hind

"Extremely gripping. A must see!" Lizzie Moor

"An excellent and compelling show with brilliant acting and direction, and which built tension expertly" Chester Smith

"Fantastic representation of one of my favourite books! Great quality of acting and the overall production was so slick! - well worth the ticket price, would highly recommend!" Lydia Field

Video

Final London performance

Photos

London Run
Friday 26 Aug at the Fringe

Programme
2206_the_birds_programme.pdf
File Size: 1328 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Cast

Diane (Arabella Harcourt-Cooze)
Nat  (Neil Dickins)
Julia (Georgina Parren)
Tierney (David Burles)

Crew

​Director (Paul Smith)
Assistant Director  (Allison DeFrees)
Stage Manager (Christine Lee)
Props (Susan Johnson)
Lighting (Ian Trowbridge)
Sound and Original Compositions (Harry Doyle)
Foley Sounds (Rachel Fay and David Burles)
Set Building (Chris Hulatt)
Make Up (Teena Heer and Jo Harry)
Producer (Chris Hulatt)
Publicity (Lucy Dargahi)
Photography and Artwork (Ian Trowbridge)
Front of House (Members & Friends of St Michael's Players)