In the early 1950s, English suspense writer Daphne du Maurier wrote a short story titled The Birds, contained in her acclaimed collection, The Apple Tree.
Set in Cornwall just after World War II, it tells the story of Nat, his family and community as they come under a lethal attack from flocks of kamikaze birds.
Actress Paula Arundell has now taken on the daunting task of presenting the story and its cast of characters as a one person stage play at Sydney’s Belvoir Street Theatre.
Just as Hitchcock’s film version bore little resemblance to du Maurier’s story, so does Arundell’s stage version, in that adapter Louise Fox has inverted the characters of the main family and placed Nat’s wife Tessa in the lead.
It is the drawing of this family that anchors the story of The Birds, and Arundell is mesmerising as she inhabits each character as they try to work out what is happening, and later, just to survive.
Along with Nat, who is characterised with a gruff, masculine voice, the other standouts are her children Jill and Johnny.
Tessa is the lens through which we see and hear the events as they unfold and the tension develops from early nonchalance to the full on fear and later, the character’s acceptance of the inevitable.
Even though the setting is a quiet seaside town, the play as a foreboding sense of claustrophobia, as the action is kept largely to the interior of the family’s house as it comes under increasing bombardment of countless thousands of bird of all species hellbent on wiping out the human species.
The one contact with the wider world is via the wireless announcer, who at first dismisses the ferocity of the attacks, and as later reports come in, we learn that they are happening across wider Europe.
The Birds is all about being in the moment, and theatre goers will not learn anything of the attacks other than their growing malevolence.
Using the timeline of when the story was written, shortly after the end of WWII, it is likely that the Blitz was the inspiration, but other interpretations range from a description of the new Cold War, man versus nature, the relentless battle of humans with the senses of the irrational, and of late, a warning on climate change.
Arundell’s skill as an actor is the key to making this production believable, which she does at every turn of a character with their inflections of fear and hope, plus the ability to use of her quiet voice to draw the audience even closer.
The Birds also draws on Arundell and director Matthew Lutton’s mapping of extensive physical business throughout the play’s eighty minutes, with Arundell having little other than herself to work with. Lutton has also worked well with set and costume designer Kat Chan, who employs a monochrome palette across both disciplines.
Lighting designer Niklas Pajanti and sound designer J. David Franzke work well in tandem producing bird strikes that are awesome in their impact, and while no real birds were harmed in this production, you cant help but feel their threatening presence.
The Birds is recommended for theatre-goers who like the challenge of a storyline that remains resolutely ambiguous, while experiencing a performance that is destined to become dinner party lore.
The Birds
Upstairs Theatre – Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir Street, Surry Hills
Performance: Wednesday 20 May 2026
Season continues to 7 June 2026
Information and Bookings: www.belvoir.com.au
Images: Paula Arundell in The Birds – photos by Brett Boardman
Review: John Moyle