THE stage adaptation of wartime satire Catch-22 is coming to the Nuffield Theatre in Southampton next week.

The novel, published in 1961, has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and it is often cited as one of the greatest novels of all time.

Set in the closing months of the Second World War, a bombardier named Yossarian is trapped in the absurd world of an inescapable war.

Frantic and furious as thousands of people he has never met try to kill him, Yossarian is stalked and thwarted by the merciless Catch-22.

Joseph Heller’s stage adaptation is directed by award-winning Rachel Chavkin.

She said: “Heller's stage adaptation really captures the heart of the book, and this production will aim to further breathe that air: absurd comedy, deadpan horror, and an amazing hero/antihero at the centre.”

Northern Stage’s Catch-22 is on from June 3 to 7.