Firewing review – tale of two twitchers in a bird hide is funny and fascinating

Hampstead theatre, LondonA bond slowly builds between wildlife photographer Tim and his apprentice Marcus in David Pearson’s tender yet underdeveloped drama A young aspiring wildlife photographer is trying out for an apprenticeship with one of the best in the business. Marcus (Charlie Beck) has just arrived at a bird hide, in the middle of nowhere. “No one can hear you scream around here,” says the older man, Tim (Gerard Horan), whose barking grumpiness carries its own threat. Marcus, under his tutelage, gives as good as he gets and they rub along awkwardly until, slowly, they find affinities: they both hail from the same downtrodden housing estate and there are shadows lurking around their family life. You wonder where this meeting will go, with ambivalence around both men’s behaviour. Does Tim have an ulterior motive in getting Marcus to this remote spot? Is Marcus really who he says he is? David Pearson’s play reveals its intentions slowly. Directed by Alice Hamilton, it is quietly sensitive and gently paced, although its narrative arc is not quite as full or dramatic as it might be. It is nonetheless filled with keen, tender and funny writing with an affectionate emot