I mean the play. The Virginia Woolf story. Not the Disney place in America, obviously 😉
I saw this piece of Theatre just before Christmas and it runs until late February.
Granted, my companion enhances any piece of live performance, artwork, restaurant dining trip and so on. Just by being there. Anywhere.
But I can say, objectively, that ORLANDO is indeed worth a look.
Is it perfect? No.
They do not have an interval which means everything is crammed into one slot of performance. That precludes an epic scope or room to breathe it all in. Those are missed opps in what is by nature an ambitious and immersive story.
There is also an over emphasis on the metatextual meaning and message, at the expense of simply getting on with the dramatisation of Virginia Woolf’s original work.
And they will never measure up to the Tilda Swinton movie take on the book.
That said? This is a versatile and talented company of actors, led by EMMA CORRIN. She’s a name to watch. Rather, THEY are a name to watch. Emma was a great Princess Diana in THE CROWN, capturing the essence of the Princess without simply doing an impression. Second only to Naomi Watts in excelling at that role. Debicki also very good in the latest Crown iteration. But Corrin was a revelation and ORLANDO continues that winning form.
Emma embodies both the innocence and experience of the lead character in ORLANDO. Jumping gender/sex and era are part of the story and the androgynous appeal and timeless charm both work with this actor.
The costumes and sets fuse simplicity and complex design, seamlessly. You see every texture, thread and change of ambient mood alongside the shifts in historical time and gender identity.
So, yes. By all means. Check out ORLANDO. See a star in the making, at work, on stage, in an experimental and brave piece of Theatre.
