Review: MRS DALLOWAY, Storyhouse Chester
Photo credit: Andrew AB
Presented by Storyhouse, Harlow Playhouse and CutToTheChase, and co-written by Kit Green and Jen Hayes, this adaptation of Mrs Dalloway stages the original text through a kaleidoscope of cine-theatre that makes visible the inner life of its characters.
In collaboration with the sole performer, Olivier award-winning Kit Green, directors Hayes and Claire Beerjeraz stage their take on Virginia Woolf’s text of great acclaim as an exploration, and recognition, of the story’s relevance today.
We are greeted by Kit in the stalls of the Storyhouse; her excitement, and nerves, ahead of her party are palpable. She frames the adaptation of the much-studied text and reassures us that knowledge of Woolf’s book isn’t required to enjoy the forthcoming show, although we’d say it could be helpful to experience the piece at its fullest. As audience and performer, we confidently embark on our journey to explore the challenging themes of the book.
Together with Kit, we plunge into the heart of the first of several key plot moments: Clarissa’s shopping trip for flowers. London beams across three screens in a bouquet of roses, lilacs and carnations, still blooming today as they would have been in 1923, and we watch Clarissa make her journey in front of the towering landmarks.
The free indirect discourse, for which Woolf’s text is revered, and perhaps often feared by theatre directors, is staged playfully and accessibly. Live acting blends with film, photography and visual design to provide deep insight into the inner thoughts and musings of the characters, which also flash across the screens in Woolf’s handwriting from time to time.
Throughout the piece, Green is extraordinary in her ability to play either side of the fourth wall, moving between several characters; into the chair of the anonymous but omniscient narrator; and then into reflexive conversation with the audience. It is Green’s musings on her relationship to Woolf’s writing and life that create a crucial safety for the audience to consider their relationship to the tale playing out on stage.
The story’s difficult themes, including that of mental illness, are approached boldly but with much care, and consent. Stephen Hull’s use of songs to address the trickier topics, and score to underline the emotion of plot moments, is particularly effective and fully illustrates Green’s versatility as a performer.
While Green performs alone, it is the work of a large technical team that conjures the characters that expose the workings of Clarissa’s mind; or the party in which their interactions take place; or the inner, terrifying workings of the mind. There are many gasps at the magic, when the video design of Monika Koeck combines with lighting designed by Phil Saunders within Simon Kenny’s live set to place Clarissa fleetingly within a London park, or make inner anxieties hauntingly visible.
This is a Mrs Dalloway for the fans and the newcomers; it creates a safe space to consider the continued relevance of Woolf’s text in today’s turbulent times and reminds us of the importance of treating our inner lives, and those of others, with the utmost care.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Lauren Wilson