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FIREBIRD
Drama + Main House + Spring 2025

FIREBIRD

The gay military epic that enraged Putin's Russia - The Times

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) which premiered at BFI Flare: London’s LGBTQI+ Film Festival. 

The cast are 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, Theatre503, tours, and film adaptation), Sorcha Kennedy (Rainer - Offie-nominated Lead Performance in a Play, Arcola Theatre, and Scarlet Sunday, at Omnibus Theatre) and Theo Walker (Coming Clean, Turbine Theatre).

A post show Q&A will take place after the performance on 19 January after the 6pm performance - hosted by Terri Paddock, writer and arts journalist. This event will be free to ticket holders for that performance.

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

Cast

Robert Eades | Roman Matvejev

Nigel Hastings | Alexei Kuznetsov

Sorcha Kennedy | Luisa Jannsen

Theo Walker | Sergey Serebrennikov

Ticket Price

£10 - £35

WHEN

9 January - 9 February

WHERE

King's Head Theatre

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REVIEWS

"The gay military epic that enraged Putin's Russia" - The Times

"A tragic, intimate and unforgettable love story" - The Upcoming

"A Cold War-era Brokeback Mountain – with a dash of Top Gun" - LA Times

"This sweeping yet intimate story, so rich and romantic, needs now more than ever to be widely known." - Stephen Fry

YOUR VISIT

Age guidance: 16+

Runtime: 90 mins with no interval

Starting times for this show differ between performanes. Plese check your ticket carefully to ensure you are on time.

Our Bars and Box Office are open 45 minutes before the performance starts. 

Due to the unique layout of our Auditorium, most seats can only be reached by crossing the stage. As a result, latecomers may not be admitted.


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