Described as one of the most charming love letters in literature, Sydney Theatre Company presents Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Orlando, Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel in an Australian premiere at the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House from 13 November 2015.
Following recent celebrated performances in The Present and Children of the Sun, Jacqueline McKenzie is back at Sydney Theatre Company (STC) for the whimsical, magical tale of time and transformation, in a wild ride spanning more than 300 years.
Orlando (McKenzie) is a nobleman in the court of Elizabeth I who catches the eye of many, including the aged Queen (Gaden) herself. As his story unfolds a world of ravishing Russian beauties and Romanian aristocrats eventually leads him to a particularly debauched night in Constantinople and a long slumber from which he awakes transformed. Orlando is now a woman and she must find her way to her true self via a glorious journey of time travel from the 16th Century all the way through to the twentieth.
Inspired by her affair with the author Vita Sackville-West, Orlando is arguably Woolf’s most popular and accessible novel and often cited as a feminist classic. The fantastical escapade was memorably adapted for film in 1992 featuring Tilda Swinton as the eponymous hero.
Director Sarah Goodes most recent work for STC includes Kylie Coolwell’s Battle of Waterloo and Joanna Murray-Smith’s Switzerland (to be remounted for Melbourne Theatre Company in 2016). She again collaborates with Designer Renée Mulder, with whom she has worked on Battle of Waterloo, The Effect, The Splinter and Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness for STC.
Director: Sarah Goodes Featuring: Matthew Backer, Luisa Hastings Edge, Garth Holcombe, John Gaden, Jacqueline McKenzie, Anthony Taufa Designer: Renée Mulder Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper Musical Director & Composer: Alan John Sound Designer: Steve Francis Dramaturg: Kip Williams
Orlando
Drama Theatre – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point (Sydney)
Season: 13 November – 19 December 2015
Bookings: (02) 9250 1777 or online at: www.sydneytheatre.com.au
For more information, visit: www.sydneytheatre.com.au for details.
Image: Jacqueline McKenzie to feature in Orlando – photo by James Green