Septimus and Clarissa, a new stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, written by Ellen McLaughlin and directed by Rachel Dickstein, premiered today.
This developmental lab production, which is presented by Ripe Time, is in previews at the Nagelberg Theatre, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Ave. in New York City.
Playwright Cody Daigle’s new play, William and Judith, adds a new twist to Woolf’s imagined life of Shakespeare’s sister Judith that she shared in A Room of One’s Own. In the play, Daigle has Judith flee to London to escape an arranged marriage. There she links up with her brother, who is suffering from writer’s block.
The play, which premieres Sept. 17 and runs through Oct. 2, explores gender roles and creative identity. It is being staged in Lafayette, Indiana, by AUI/Aura and The Compound.
Lovely coincidences were a big part of the day when I saw Sara Ruhl’s stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando in New York City earlier this month.
The first coincidence was that I already had a one-day trip to New York City planned for the last weekend of the production. So while my traveling companions went off to see the Saturday matinee of Promises, Promises on Broadway, I headed to East 13th Street and the Classic Stage Company to see Orlando.
When I got there, I waited for the second lovely coincidence, which was the fact that I was attending the performance with Vinny Ciarlariello, a NYU graduate student with whom I had worked at the University of Akron’s student newspaper last year.
Vinny Ciarlariello outside the Classic Stage Company
But before Vinny arrived, the third lovely coincidence walked up. Anne Fernald, professor of English at Fordham, editor of the upcoming Cambridge University Press edition of Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and blogger over at Fernham, was there to see the show and headline a post-performance Q&A session.
Afterwards, it was no coincidence that Anne, Vinny and I agreed that Ruhl’s adaptation was absolutely brilliant.
Here’s what I loved about it:
The artful simplicity of the production, which used a lighted portable model to depict Orlando’s huge estate and a huge billowing square of white cloth to simulate the frozen Thames.
The fantastic huge gilt-framed mirror that hung above the stage, reflecting the performance below and offering a unique perspective of it as well.
Anne Fernald after her Q&A
The insightful performance of Francesca Faridany in the title role and her perfect blend of humor and intensity.
The lyrical dialogue, which was 90 percent Woolf.
The simple all-white costumes, which managed to convey the gender changes of Orlando and the actors who played multiple roles.
The fun of the golden wedding band hoop skirt that Orlando wore over her regular costume when the Victorian urge to marry overtook her.
The artful “skating” of Annika Boras, who played Sasha. And her gorgeous wine velvet costume, complete with soft-soled flat suede boots.
The venue, which was intimate and immediate.
The fact that when it was over, I wanted to see the entire performance again.
Sarah Ruhl‘s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando will premiere in New York this month. And two Woolf scholars will moderate question and answer sessions after two of the performances.
A new stage adaption of The Waves is playing at the Factory Theatre in Toronto, Canada, June 30 through July 11.
The Waves: First Tide is written and directed by Brenley Charkow. The Factory Theatre is located at 125 Bathurst St.
Advance tickets for both matinee and evening performances can be purchased June 15 through the Toronto Fringe Festival online or by calling 416-966- 1062.
This year’s Virginia Woolf conference is coming up soon. And organizers continue to make additions to the program.
The most recent is a staged reading called “Life in the Country: A Dramatic Reading for Five Voices,” by Roberta Palumbo of Holy Names University.
The 50-minute chamber play features dialogue created from the letters, diaries, and memoirs of Virginia Woolf, Leonard Woolf, Vanessa Bell, Dr. Octavia Wilberforce and Louie Mayer.
It will be performed by professional actors from Lexington, Ky., and is scheduled to follow Thursday’s opening reception. It will be on stage at Georgetown’s Lab Theatre, right across the street from the Art Gallery, where the reception will be held.
