Firebird, King’s Head Theatre Review
Theo Walker and Robert Eades in Firebird. Photo by Geraint Lewis
Written by Becky K for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Tagged as ‘The gay military epic that enraged Putin’s Russia, Richard Hough’s Firebird makes its theatrical debut at The King’s Head Theatre. Directed by Owen Lewis, the ninety-minute production pays homage to the inspiring memoir of Sergey Fetisov through a moving romance.
In Soviet-occupied Estonia in the 1970s, young Sergey (Theo Walker) is carrying out his compulsory two-year conscription in the Air Force. While there, he meets maverick fighter pilot Roman (Robert Eades), and their friendship rapidly becomes a romance, and their affair begins. Battling with the risk of exposure under Communist rule, Sergey rises over his fear of being caught and fights for his love with Roman.
With the fear of persecution looming, Lewis does really well to find moments of humour within the narrative. The relationship between Sergey, Roman and best friend Luisa (Sorcha Kennedy), along with the presence of uptight Colonel Kuznetsov (Nigel Hastings), is a welcome layer to the relationship cover-up plot, with light hearted, gossipy remarks. My favourite punchline would have to be Col. Kuznetsov’s remark at Shakespeare’s sonnets, claiming he preferred ‘the original Russian version’. The banter did however make it difficult to believe the Soviet location and time period of the story. While the choice not to do Eastern-European accents is appreciated, the dialect in the script felt very modern with the sarcasm used, perhaps working better if the story were told in retrospect.
Walker and Eades have great physical chemistry on stage, thanks to the intimacy coordination from Jess Tucker Boyd. From the subtle touches and glances in the presence of others to the full frontal snogging, Sergey and Roman’s relationship sparked butterflies. While the on-stage connections were strong, the story however moved very quickly, offering little time to develop the relationship. Lengthy time periods are skipped between scenes, resulting in the jumpy narrative glossing over the relationship’s crescendo and cutting out the tension in parts. Unfortunately, it meant that the ending was slightly anti-climatic as the script did not allow enough time for the audience to get to know the characters and their relationships within our limited timeframe.
Firebird should prove to be a popular addition to The King’s Head’s programme as the theatre marks its second year in business. Solidly performed, the show has certainly got me excited to read up more on Fetisov’s fascinating life story.
At King’s Head Theatre until 09 February 2025
★ ★ ★
