‘Frisky farce’ to be staged at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds

A comedy described as a “frisky farce with plenty of flesh” and set in a small rural community is coming to the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds early next month.

“The Birds and The Bees” centres around complicated family dynamics and intertwined relationships where everyone knows each other’s business and is being staged between May 3 and 7.

East Anglian farmer Gail (Louise Gold) has turned to beekeeping but suddenly, her bees are dropping like flies, much like her love life.

After her husband left 20 years ago, Gail hasn’t put much effort into finding love unlike her neighbouring farmer Earl (Siôn Tudor Owen) who seems to have a constant string of women in tow.

She’s not the only one who’s struggling however; the marriage of Sarah, Gail’s daughter (Laura Doddington), is teetering on the edge, much like her turkey farm where the turkeys always need a hand (or two) in reproducing.

Could city dweller Ben (Richard McIver) be the key to getting the farm back on track?

While studying for his bio-science degree at UEA, he’s been sent to collect data from Gail’s bees but things could get tricky for Ben without wi-fi, Starbucks and public transport.

Perhaps the annual Turkey Dance will make him feel more like part of the community but what will the locals make of his bio-agenda and skin-tight Lycra?

“The Birds and The Bees” is a funny and flirty comedy full of laughs that locals will love.

Hailed a “frisky farce with plenty of flesh” by The Times, it was written by Canadian playwright Mark Crawford with additional material by James McDermott reflecting local heritage, landscapes and that distinctive regional accent. It was rated five stars by WhatsOnStage.

“I wanted to pay homage to the boisterous elements of classic bedroom farce, but I knew this play could dive deeper into these characters, their relationships, and bigger ideas about agriculture, science, family, and the environment,” said Crawford.

Growing up on a Canadian farm he always heard discussions within his farming family of pesticides effecting the bee population and had always wanted to write a sex-comedy so took up the challenge as playwright-in-residence for Blyth Theatre Festival.

This is the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds’ first co-production between New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, Theatre Royal Norwich and John Stalker Productions. “The Birds and The Bees” was performed first at the New Wolsey, travelling to the Theatre Royal Norwich and finishing at the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. 

Owen Calvert-Lyons, artistic director and CEO of the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, said: “Theatre Royal is delighted to be co-producing ‘The Birds and The Bees’. This is a hugely exciting collaboration, bringing together three of the biggest theatres in our region to create a play which will entertain audiences across East Anglia.

“We want our audiences to love this play and feel that it speaks to them, so we have employed brilliant local playwright, James McDermott, to transpose the story from its original setting in Canada to East Anglia. ‘The Birds and The Bees’ is a real laugh-out-loud comedy and I’m sure that audiences all across this region are going to love it.”

To book go to www.theatreroyal.org/shows/the-birds-and-the-bees/ or call the box office Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, telephone 1284 769505.