Albion Theatre’s current production is a fine choice for the Halloween season—Conor McPherson’s stage adaptation of “The Birds.” Daphne Du Maurier’s 1953 short story of the same name is the source of both McPherson’s play and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film, “The Birds,” but the play is not an adaptation of the movie.

 All three works are apocalyptic: they depict the end of civilization. Birds bring about the devastation, but authors are concerned with the catastrophe’s consequences, not its cause.

McPherson focuses on the psychological effects on a small group of survivors. The first to appear are middle-aged Diane and Nat, who meet on the road and seek refuge in an isolated, abandoned farmhouse near a body of water in rural New England. Diane is a writer who keeps a journal. Nat is a strapping man with a history of instability.

Short-lived radio broadcasts and Diane’s diary fill in the background of the bird attacks. They coincide with high tide, limiting the time that can be spent outside house searching for food.

Diane and Nat have complementary survival skills. Hers are emotional; his are physical. The stability they achieve in their refuge is disrupted by the arrival of Julia, an attractive, calculating young woman who provokes longing, jealousy, and mistrust. A neighbor across the water named Tierney has one menacing encounter with Diane while the others are away.

Under Robert Ashton’s insightful direction, the Albion actors bring welcome depth and development to their characters. The fine cast includes Susan Wylie as Diane, Jeff Kargus as Nat, Livy Potthoff as Julia, and Joseph Garner as Tierney.

Production director and scenic designer Rob Lippert and costume Tracey Newcomb create an environment well suited to the action. The production’s chilling moments are enhanced by Justin Been’s sound and projections, Kara Grimm-Denholm’s lighting, and Ryan Lawson-Maeske’s fight choreography.

“The Birds” continues through November 1 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre, 501 North Grand Boulevard.

—Gerry Kowarsky, 2026

Photo by John Lamb
From the left: Susan Wylie as Diane and Joseph Garner as Tierney in “The Birds.”