The Birds Malthouse Theatre: Paula Arundell’s 2025 Thriller

An adrenaline-shot adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s chilling thriller The Birds will haunt Melbourne audiences this autumn at Malthouse Theatre.

Directed by Matthew Lutton and brought to life by playwright Louise Fox, the one-woman show will star Paula Arundell in an unforgettable tour de force. The highly anticipated production promises to send pulses skyrocketing, from Friday 16 May to Saturday 7 June.

After concluding in the role of Malthouse Theatre’s Artistic Director following a decade in the position, Matthew Lutton will return to direct The Birds. He said of the show:

The Birds is a thriller about a family who are living through an extraordinary crisis – the day birds, as an entire species, turn on humankind. Paula is one of the country’s most astonishing actors, and this will be the performance of a lifetime, and you’ll be in the theatre, wearing headphones, experiencing every whisper and every swoop intimately with her.

Interpreted on film by Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds plunges audiences into a world of fear and frenzy where nature’s power turns deadly. Theatre-goers are given individual headsets, thrusting them each into an adrenaline-fuelled soundscape of flying feathers and murderous swoops. With sound design and composition by J. David Franzke, the breathtaking tale is made all the more real through this sensory immersion.

The play tells the story of a relentless, supernatural bird attack on a coastal town, sparking a pulse-pounding journey into human survival, paranoia, and primal instincts. With Lutton’s inventive direction and Fox’s incisive adaptation, the production promises to deliver a raw, contemporary spin on Du Maurier’s gothic classic.

Paula Arundell—one of Australia’s most magnetic stage actors —will take centre stage as the show’s solo performer. Best known for her standout performance as Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—for which she earned a Helpmann Award nomination—Arundell’s powerhouse presence has gained widespread acclaim for performances including Three Furies, Antony & Cleopatra and Henry V. In this chilling role, Arundell promises to bring an emotionally complex, edge-of-your-seat performance that will leave audiences breathless.

The Birds will run Friday 16 May to Saturday 7 June 2025 at the Malthouse Theatre, with tickets available for purchase at malthousetheatre.com.au