By Grace Hatchell.
Firebird flies back to London as Double Telling revives Phil Davies’ powerful drama at Southwark Playhouse Borough
There are some stories that should have faded into history by now, tucked away where they can do no more harm. But sadly, that is not the world we are living in. And now Firebird, Phil Davies’ blistering debut play, is returning to the London stage for its first revival, landing at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 9 July to 1 August 2026, with press night on 15 July.
Now then, village friends, this is not one of those light little theatre notices I can skip through with a wink and a rustle of the satchel. Firebird deals with grooming, exploitation, and the devastating fallout of not being believed, so it comes with some very serious weight behind it. But from what has been announced, this revival is not simply reopening old wounds for effect. It sounds like a production determined to handle its subject with care, compassion, and purpose.
The revival comes from Double Telling, the team behind the multi-award-winning London premiere of Run Sister Run, and is directed by the company’s Artistic Director Marlie Haco. She is taking on a text that first premiered back in 2015 at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs before transferring to Trafalgar Studios, and if you are anything like me, you will have clocked straight away that a revival after ten years usually says one of two things: either somebody fancies a nostalgic dust-off, or the material is still painfully relevant. This, I’m afraid, is very much the latter.
Phil Davies himself has said he hoped the play’s subject matter would have become obsolete by now. Instead, ten years later, it may be even more urgent. Which is a grim thing to have to admit, but an important one too.
At the centre of Firebird are two teenage girls who meet at a local youth centre and strike up an unexpected friendship. But when one of them is drawn into the orbit of an older man, that friendship is tested in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. It sounds like one of those plays that takes your heart in both hands and then asks whether the world has earned the right to hold it.
What strikes me most from what Marlie Haco has said is that she is not framing this revival only through violence and damage, but also through the redemptive power of female friendship. That matters. Because while the play shines a light on abuse and exploitation, it also seems determined to make space for recognition, solidarity, and hope for survivors. That is a very different thing from theatre that simply wants to shock and send everybody home looking haunted on the Tube.
And Double Telling appears to be putting real thought behind that responsibility. The company is consulting with journalist Anna Hall, maker of the 2025 documentary Groomed: A National Scandal, and partnering with charities including One in Four, Lasting Support, and Together at Southwark Wellbeing Hub. In other words, this is not a case of theatre barging into painful territory in big boots and calling itself brave. There is clearly an effort here to connect the production with real conversations and real support beyond the stage.
Creatively, there is a strong team behind it too. The production is directed by Marlie Haco, with set design by Tomás Palmer, costume design by Sarah Mercadé, composition and sound design by Ákos Lustyik, lighting design by Ben Jacobs, and casting by Gabriella Shimeld-Fenn and Annelie Powell. Haco and Palmer both return as OFFIE nominees, joined by Olivier Award-winning lighting designer Ben Jacobs, which gives this revival a rather tasty creative spine.
And if you are the sort who likes your reviews quoted before you’ve even bought your ticket, the play has previously been described as “remarkably potent”, “rare eloquence”, and “blisteringly intense”. This new staging will combine Davies’ scorching script with movement and an original score, which suggests this won’t just be a straight replay of the original but a fresh interpretation with its own pulse.
So yes, Firebird sounds like it could be a difficult evening in places, and rightly so. But it also sounds like the kind of theatre that refuses to look away when looking away would be easier. The kind that asks not just what happened, but who gets heard, who gets protected, and who gets left carrying the cost.
That is not easy material. But easy has never been the point.
Firebird runs at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 9 July to 1 August 2026, with press night on Wednesday 15 July at 7.30pm. Performances are Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm. Tickets are £28 standard, £22.50 concessions, £16 for previews, and £10 for the Pioneers’ Preview on 9 July. Age guidance is 16+.
Southwark Playhouse Borough is at 77–85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD. The nearest stations are Elephant & Castle and Borough.
Book now: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/firebird
Find out more: doubletelling.com/work/firebird
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