Showing @ Traverse Theatre until 2nd Oct.
Virginia Woolf’s century and sexuality spanning biographical anti-novel, essentially a poetic love letter to Vita Sackville-West, has gone in and out of fashion since it was published in 1928. However whether its modernist style and slightly condescending tone towards those of the lower orders appeal there’s no denying it’s an intriguing and captivating premise.
Cryptic Theatre‘s production doesn’t attempt to replicate every aspect of the book, in line with Woolf’s own belief that novels should more reflect drama than the straight narrative form, they use a combination of music, sound, projected backdrops and lighting effects to create a sense of the confused and transforming existence of Orlando.
Orlando was subtlety played by Madeleine Worrall who pitches her performance just right, bringing a sense of the almost scientific detachment of the character to his/her changes of status, sex and time.
Worrall is joined on stage by mutli-hyphenate performer Antye Greie (AGF) who provides poetry music and song as a background to the story, her contribution added to the work of composer Craig Armstrong and intriguing yet simple design by James Johnson help to make this a highly atmospheric piece of work.
However creating an experience rather than a literal transforming of a novel into something dramatic is the shows major problem. There is a great deal of technology on show here and at times there’s a feeling that director Cathie Boyd was more enamoured of it than she was in telling the story. In fact, Worrall’s voice was frequently drowned by the music or soundscapes. Nevertheless, this was an intelligent attempt to match the modernist principles of Woolf’s work on stage and it mostly worked.