THE BIRDS • Albion Theatre

Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s 2009 psychological thriller bears little resemblance to Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story that inspired it, and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film adaptation. The story's single constant is the deadly bird attacks that coincide with the tides, but the location is moved from du Maurier’s Cornwall, England and Hitchcock’s Bodega Bay, California to New England, and the focus is narrowed to three strangers who take shelter in an abandoned farmhouse. Much like George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, a film that McPherson was a fan of as a kid, his adaptation leans less into the chaos happening outside, and more into the resulting friction that mounts among these survivors as their confinement and dwindling resources take a psychological toll.

Diane (Susan Wylie) & Nat (Jeff Kargus).
Photo credit: John Lamb

The striking farmhouse interior that greets you dominates the Kranzberg’s stage, and is conceptualized effectively under production director and scenic designer Rob Lippert. Justin Been’s projections include fidgeting bird silhouettes against sharp-angled shadows, with a near constant sound design of flocks dive-bombing the house, caws, flapping wings and rain. When we begin, the avian assaults have been well underway, and Diane (Susan Wylie), a former novelist, is nursing Nat (Jeff Kargus) through a fever. Separated from their own families, Diane and Nat have boarded themselves up in a rural homestead, where a cautious alliance begins to form. Diane, serving as our narrator, occasionally voices the thoughts she jots down in her journal while Nat, a guy with an unstable past, tries to keep his head on straight. They take turns scavenging for supplies armed with an axe and protected by face shields and fencing masks, making sure to be back home well before high tide. Just as they start to settle into a routine, another survivor, a young woman named Julia (Livy Potthoff), shows up and upsets the balance Nat and Diane had managed to achieve. The 90-or-so-minute narrative plays out in a series of short episodic scenes that track the progression of blooming rivalries and growing suspicions, all while society collapses around them, and the tide that brings the onslaught of birds continues to roll in and recede. At one point, a neighbor, Tierney (Joseph Garner), comes calling. Wielding a shotgun and prone to outbursts, Tierney’s unsettling behavior suggests that maybe he’s been on his own for too long. He’s got cans of food to share and advice to offer, but his visit mainly just drives the mistrust and paranoia even deeper.

Nat (Jeff Kargus), Diane (Susan Wylie) and
Julia (Livy Porrhoff).
Photo credit: John Lamb

The Birds is a slow burner, but director Robert Ashton and the performances of his skilled cast keep the proceedings suspenseful, as evidenced by little fits of tension-releasing giggles that ripple through the audience at the slightest of prods. It’s a nice pick for Spooky Season, and definitely worth checking out. It’s playing at the Kranzberg until November 1.

THE BIRDS

Written by Conor McPherson, adapted from a short story by Daphne du Maurier

Directed by Robert Ashton

Kranzberg Black Box Theater, 501 North Grand Blvd.

through November 1 | tickets: $29.75 - $41.25 (Includes fees)

Performances Thursdays: October 22 & 29 at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays: Oct 16,17, 23, 24, 30 & 31 at 7:30pm, Sundays: Oct 18,25 & Nov 1 at 2pm

Diane (Susan Wylie) & Tierney (Joseph Garner).
Photo credit: John Lamb

Cast

Diane: Susan Wylie

Nat: Jeff Kargus

Julia: Livy Potthoff

Tierney: Joseph Garner

Crew

Production Director & Scenic Designer: Rob Lippert

Asst. Director: CJ Langdon

Stage Manager: Rachel Klin

Lighting Design: Kara Grimm-Denholm

Costumes: Tracey Newcomb

Sound & Projections Design: Justin Been

Asst. Stage Manager: Denise Mandle

Fight Choreographer: Ryan Lawson-Maeske

Scenic Painter: Amy Soll

Props Design: Kathleen Dwyer