Marking the centenary of the end of the First World War, Rachel Wagstaff’s highly acclaimed adaptation of Sebastian Faulks best-selling novel Birdsong returns to York Theatre Royal from Tues 5 to 9 June on its final UK tour.

The cast is headed by Tom Kay and Madeleine Knight as Stephen Wraysford and Isabelle Azaire. Tom appeared to great acclaim in a recent production of Journey’s End, performed on a First World War battlefield at Ypres. Madeleine’s television and film credits include Poldark and Florence Foster Jenkins.

Also in the cast are Tim Treloar, Olivia Bernstone, Alice Brittain, Alfie Browne-Sykes (recently seen as Jason Roscoe in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, Martin Carroll, Riley Carter-Millington (Kyle Slater in EastEnders James Findlay (winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2010), Liz Garland, Jeffrey Harmer and Simon Lloyd.

Birdsong tells a mesmerising story of love and courage, before and during the war. In pre-war France, a young Englishman, Stephen Wraysford, embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their worlds upside down. As the war breaks out, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle and the idyll of his former life as his world explodes around him.

Sebastian Faulks said:

“This is the fourth and final tour of Rachel Wagstaff’s adaptation of my novel and, as it coincides with the centenary of the Armistice in 1918, it comes with an additional air of celebration. The play has had a long life since its first incarnation in the West End in 2010 and audiences have always been warm and appreciative. I very much hope that this finale will be a glorious one.”

Birdsong is directed by Alastair Whatley with Charlotte Peters, with set design by Victoria Spearing, lighting by Alex Wardle for Charcoalblue and sound by Dom Bilkey. It is produced on tour by Anne-Marie Woodley and Jon Woodley for Birdsong Productions Ltd in association with The Original Theatre Company. More information can be found at www.birdsongthetour.com

The play will run between 5 and 9 June 2018 at York Theatre Royal, and tickets and more information can be found at http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk