Firebird will become the latest Hampstead Downstairs hit to transfer to the West End next year when it begins its run at London’s Trafalgar Studios.
Phil Davies’ debut play will brings its searing tale to the intimate West End venue from 17 February to 19 March, following in the footsteps of fellow transfers Four Minutes Twelve Seconds and The Wasp.
Firebird, which has already been seen by thousands of theatre fans following November’s online screening, tells the story of Tia, whose mouthy attitude and confident swagger hide a vulnerable teenager. A tough start in life draws Tia to AJ, a good-looking and charismatic older man who shows her a kindness that she’s never known. But this kindness comes with a price.
Based on the recent cases of child sexual exploitation in towns including Rotherham, Rochdale and Oxford, the production is produced in collaboration with The Children’s Society, whose Seriously Awkward campaign is urging the government to strengthen the law protecting young people experiencing sexual exploitation.
Firebird was the first production at the Hampstead Downstairs to be directed by the venue’s Artistic Director Edward Hall, who adds the harrowing thriller to his successful Hampstead Theatre transfers, Sunny Afternoon and Chariots Of Fire.
Hall’s production will open at the Trafalgar Studio 2 following The Wasp, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s electric thriller about two school friends whose lives have taken very different paths, which begins previews tonight and plays until 16 January.