RadioTheatre Presents THE BIRDS Review — More Than a Phenomenon

RadioTheatre conveys through voice how one event can change life itself

The calm and normalcy that seemed to hover over the town changes over the course of one night when a freak occurrence—countless birds swarming around and violently entering our protagonists’ home—shifts the comfort this young couple once knew.

When morning comes and strewn about the house are 40 to 50 dead “robins, finches, sparrows, larks,” and more, the couple knows that the birds’ appearance were more than suspicious, but instead, malicious. As this story unravels—and the town itself does, too—safety becomes something these townsfolk can only recall in their memories.

Unlike most other RadioTheatre performances of Alfred Hitchcock’s work, THE BIRDS is told partially from the perspective of a third-person, omniscient narrator. As we weave through this narrative, in this reviewer’s opinion, it is the narrator's unbiased and sane accounts that keep us from fully being submerged in the characters’ chaos—which some may fancy, but others may think detracts from the story.

One of Hitchcock’s most famous tales will suit anyone who has a hankering for mystery and whose interests are piqued by chaos. If the former describes you, give THE BIRDS a listen next time you have 35 minutes to spare.

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Cast:

Frank Zilinyi, R.Patrick Alberty, Alejandro Cardozo, Caitlin Boyle, Sarah Gwynne Walker, Annemarie Hagenaars

Creative Team:

Dan Bianchi (director/story adapter/sound), Wes Shippee (sound design/tech director)

When:

Through December 31, 2021

Where:

Available on the RadioTheatre website.

Tickets:

$10

RadioTheatre poster image courtesy of RadioTheatre NYC; all other images public domain