ED2011 4/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews

Orlando (Cryptic)

By Hilary White | Published on Monday 22 August 2011

Orlando is alone – that is, if you don’t count the intoxicating range of audio-visual effects accompanying the sole actress. Intensely atmospheric, the flickering electronic soundtrack intricately follows Orlando’s journey through time, space and gender, as we are treated to the heady recitation of an exotic biography. Adapted from Virginia Woolf’s novel, this production is especially adept in its synthesis of Woolf’s linguistic virtuosity with contemporary sound and projection techniques. Although the show’s pace lags occasionally, Judith Williams impresses with a witty and vulnerable performance, while evocative lighting, clever set design and costuming superbly depict numerous transformations. Orlando proclaims her aloneness, but with so gloriously multifarious a performance, we need not ask for anything more.

St George’s West, 5 – 28 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 4.00pm (5.05pm), £7.00 – £12.00, fpp286.
tw rating 4/5
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