Review – Mrs Dalloway – Storyhouse, Chester
With Storyhouse gaining a growing reputation for producing innovative, boundary-pushing theatre, the jewel in Chester’s cultural crown plays hosts to yet another first as a brand-new production of literary classic ‘Mrs Dalloway’ receives its World premiere at the city centre venue.
A joint production between Storyhouse, Harlow Playhouse and Go To The Chase Productions, this brand new, innovative piece of theatre presents a fresh, reimagined take on Virginia Woolf’s classic tale.
Directed, created and co-written by award winning director Jen Hayes and performed and co-written by Olivier Award-winning artist Kit Green with film and video design by Monika Koeck, this production of ‘Mrs Dalloway’ presents the audience with a unique, immersive experience, you’re a guest at a party at which anything could happen!
Set over a single day in June 1923, as Clarissa Dalloway travels across London, preparing for her party, war veteran Septimus Smith is struggling with his nightmarish visions of the horrors of the Great War. Their stories unfold side by side. Along the way, we meet the central characters, Mrs Dalloway, her husband, her friends, former lovers, her housemaid, society acquaintances etc.
The multi-talented Kit Green is engaging, intriguing and full of nervous energy as she draws the audience in to the world of Clarissa Dalloway, inviting us to “plunge in to the heart of the moment together”, it certainly feels like a communal experience but one which might lose some of its intimacy in a larger venue. Green impressively plays no fewer than 15 characters, (16 including Woolf herself), each character is distinctive, having their own narrative. Green deftly inhabits each one to maximum effect. Frequently breaking the fourth wall, Kit Green ensures that she carries the audience with her throughout. With the production relying heavily on lots of technical wizardry, timing is key, and Green pulls this off with aplomb.
Without giving too much away, the production is technically impressive using pre-filmed segments which merge seamlessly with the live performance. Featuring an original soundtrack and some sensitively crafted songs, the production is wonderfully inclusive and interactive with some good-natured audience participation adding to the feel of the show. If you’ve ever seen a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, then this will definitely be right up your street.
A mix of theatrical performance, cinematic artistry, cabaret and narration, ‘Mrs Dalloway’ offers audiences a fresh, quirky and thought-provoking experience, so why not “plunge into the heart of the moment”.
The Chester blog 