YORK Theatre Royal artistic director Damian Cruden touched down at Heathrow airport at 9am on Monday morning after overseeing the opening of his Canadian production of The Railway Children.

No time for rest; later that day he was conducting the first rehearsal in York for the second production of the In The Round ensemble company season: My Family And Other Animals.

Gerald Durrell’s magical book has sustained its appeal across the generations and next month the Theatre Royal is to present the first stage adaptation, written by Janys Chambers.

She also wrote the first radio adaptation of the book for BBC Radio 4, a show that was aired again last September. She has since been working closely with the York theatre to create a new script that “not only evokes the beauty of the original text but also captures the adventurous spirit of youth”.

“As well as drawing on the comedy of this eccentric family, the play explores what effect a life of freedom can have when you’re faced with having to grow up,” says Damian.

Chambers’s adaptation will look to build on the Theatre Royal’s reputation for creating storytelling plays, in the wake of Cruden’s Olivier Award-winning production of The Railway Children at the National Railway Museum and Waterloo Station, London, and The Wind In The Willows in the round last summer.

In My Family And Other Animals, Durrell looks back at his unconventional upbringing on the Greek island of Corfu when his family decided to leave the grey skies of 1930s England in search of sun, adventure and freedom.

Durrell grew up to be a champion for wildlife preservation, making more than 70 television programmes about his expeditions and founding the Jersey Zoological Park and the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.

My Family And Other Animals recalls how that passion for wildlife took hold, the story capturing the inquisitive nature of youth and exploring the rich natural landscape and cultural life Durrell experienced at an early age.

The wry observations of a curious young boy do not stop at the animal kingdom but also offer a comic view of encounters with his bohemian family, their friends and the locals.

“Sometimes it’s pretty hard to tell them apart… my family and other animals, that is,” wrote Durrell. “I don’t know why my brothers and sisters complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the lunch table, our house is a bit like a circus. So they should feel right at home.”

For next month’s stage premiere, Cruden is joined in the production team by designer Jane Linz Roberts, lighting designer Richard G Jones and composer Christopher Madin. The cast comprises Stephen Billington as Leslie Durrell; Jonathan Race, Larry; Simeon Truby, Gerry; Emily Pithon, Margo; Gordon Kane, Spiro; Julia Watson, Mother; Michael Roberts, Mr Kralevsky and Durrant; Michael Lambourne, Roger the Dog; and Martin Barrass, Simon Yadoo, Laura Cox and Helen Kay in assorted roles.

• My Family And Other Animals will run from June 3 to 25 at 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk