EastEnders star Max Bowden announces new project after exiting Ben Mitchell role
He lands a stage role.
EastEnders star Max Bowden has already landed a new role ahead of exiting the soap on-screen.
An emotional exit storyline for his character Ben Mitchell is currently underway, but Max is moving on to a stage role in the 30th-anniversary production of Birdsong.
Based on Sebastian Faulks’ acclaimed novel, Max will be touring venues across the UK later this year in a play about star-crossed lovers in the shadow of World War 1. He had starred in a previous stage version in 2016.
Max will be playing the co-lead role in Birdsong as Jack Firebrace, with the actor saying: “I’m so excited to be collaborating with [producers] Original Theatre again on a project close to my heart. Birdsong highlights the tragedy of war, yet the beauty of humanity simultaneously through strong relationships under extreme circumstances, and I can’t wait to bring Jack Firebrace to life under their guidance.”
Birdsong tells the story of Englishman Stephen Wraysford and his love Isabelle Azaire as their romance is ripped apart by the conflict in Europe in the 1910s.
As war breaks out, Stephen is torn away from Isabelle to lead troops in the Battle of the Somme, never forgetting that he’s fighting for his romance as well as the fate of the free world.
While tickets in various venues will be going on sale in the coming days, you can already reserve seats at the Richmond Theatre from Tuesday, October 1, through Saturday, October 5, through ATG.
Tickets will be available from £15, plus a transaction fee of £3.95.
This production is being adapted by writer Rachel Wagstaff (The Girl on The Train) and director Alastair Whatley (Into the Night).
Whatley has said: “Max joined us to play the character of Tipper, a young soldier, in the 2016 tour of Birdsong and now, the best part of a decade later, returns to play the wonderful role of Jack Firebrace. I cannot wait to get back in the rehearsal room with Max to explore one of Sebastian’s most unforgettable characters.”
You can check here for upcoming Birdsong dates in Leeds, Cambridge, Liverpool, Norwich and beyond.
Meanwhile, in Walford, Max’s character Ben is facing an uncertain future after being caught by police when one of his previous crimes in America had resurfaced.
Viewers have most recently seen Ben beg for his father Phil Mitchell’s help getting him out of trouble, as he faces a lengthy prison sentence in the US.
