Review: Birdwatching at Northern Stage

“…all three actors were really strong…”

Birdwatching by Madeleine Farnhill, Northern Stage

By Lauren Powell

I love folk horror – absolutely love it. I’m a city girl, so the idea of something lurking in the woods strikes a peculiar fear into me that I love. For this reason, Birdwatching really appealed to me – at least in principle.

The plot is this: three girls go into the woods to go camping – outdoorsy mean girl, Poppy (played by Madeline Farnhill), Irish mean girl, Amelia (played by Mimi Millmore), and probably-autistic/ADHD girl, Lauren (Ellen Trevaskiss). Setting up camp does not go well – cue an hour of watching them be catty to the autistic girl and farting about, awkwardly cramming in backstory and motivations. You’ll wonder if this is going down a sapphic route for about ten minutes – don’t get too excited, it doesn’t. Then something spooky happens – which happens to be a throwback to a story one of them tells – and that’s the end.  

A quick positive about the writing first: I thought the characterisation was good. I have absolutely been in group situations like this where other girls just become horrible people out of the blue for seemingly no reason. I’d love to say I found that unrealistic, but some of the girl drama was so on point it made me feel quite stressed out – triggered even. The character of Lauren really resonated with me, probably because I’m neurodiverse and called Lauren, so I was in her shoes from the moment she loses a bag on the train. I should say it’s never stated she’s neurodiverse, but I really did get that vibe and enjoyed her portrayal.

The rest of the writing, though, was a hard miss for me. I understand you need to build the characters so you care about what happens to them, but it dragged on and, by the end, I was hoping they would all meet a tragic end because they were all awful people. I kept thinking, “Why did she blurt that out?”, “What’s the point in saying that?”, “Why are they even friends at all?”. Also, throughout the play the birds they talk about are goshawks, but then, as the spooky stuff is happening, they play a song about magpies. It just didn’t work for me. 

Another issue I had was with the venue. I do like stage Three at the Live – it’s a great little space that lets you feel like you’re part of the action. In this case, it wasn’t utilised well. Too much of the play takes part close to the ground, particularly the action at the end. I was in the third row and I could see none of it. Also, the space has two fire exits, brilliant for health and safety but their glow totally eclipsed the subtle lighting and spoiled the dark atmosphere. 

In a nutshell, I wasn’t keen on the material and the venue wasn’t ideal, but the acting was definitely believable – all three actors were really strong, despite the script issues. I think if you are going to see this play in another one of the many venues it’s showing at, it might be worth showing up early and snagging the best seats you can because a bad view makes for a disappointing experience. I think I might have been able to give a higher rating had I been able to see the floor-level action. 

In the end, the depiction of the teenage girls and their frenemy relationships is truly the scary part rather than the folk horror itself, which makes for an interesting concept. If you are looking for something different to watch for the end of October, this might be a fun evening out. Do also bring some extra money, as they are selling lino prints to support the creative crew involved and the prints are lovely. 

Birdwatching plays at Northern Stage on 25 October.

Lauren Powell is a recovering academic from the North East of England. Currently residing in South Shields with her partner and two malevolent gerbils. Lauren is a short form writer who writes fiction as well as reviews. She has loved the theatre since childhood, and many years ago volunteered back stage with an amateur group, Stage Focus.  From one man readings to musical and beyond, Lauren can not get enough! You can find her on Twitter/X here.