Written by Roby for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own

Kit Green takes on the challenge of co-writer and performer in her one-woman adaptation of Mrs Dalloway. “Adaptation” feels like the wrong word… as this show seems more like an interpretation of Mrs Dalloway alongside ‘an evening with Kit Green’. Nevertheless, the show’s ambition is rewarded by a warm response from its audience.

Jen Heyes (director, creator and co-writer) attempts to use voice, vision and film to create a unique adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s classic. Heyes does well to convey the stream-of-consciousness vulnerability of the piece throughout both her writing and direction, but at times her blending of numerous different art forms leaves the overall vision somewhat unclear, and the piece feels as though it doesn’t quite know what it is supposed to be. Whilst the cine-theatre genre is certainly prominent, the use of interactions that break the fourth wall, a ‘seated rave’ in the second half, and the use of poorly written musical numbers completely blurs what exactly this piece is trying to achieve. It has huge potential, but I personally felt as though whilst the themes and overall message of the piece were strong, the language and art forms with which it was trying to convey this message with lacked clarity.

The design elements throughout this show complement Heyes’ multifaceted vision nicely, doing well to keep up! Monika Koeck’s film and video design is beautiful throughout, and it’s a shame that the projection is often also projected onto Green herself (perhaps this is a budget issue). Koeck’s design has some breathtaking moments that explore nature and the city of London, which make for a really exciting and colourful opening. Unfortunately though, the editing can at times feel a little low budget. Whilst Koeck does well to work with this, many moments that involve using characters on screens to interact with Green are disproportionate. For example, Green’s entire body will be reacting with four torsos.

Phil Saunders’ lighting design is nice, and Simon Kenny’s live set and costume design has a simple elegance to it. Stephen Hull’s sound design generally works well, and it’s a shame that much of his music composition is used to accompany repetitive lyrics with cringey rhymes that give the impression that they were written at the last minute.

Kit Green’s performance is of course the standout element of the show. Her interactions with the audience, along with her naturally charming stage presence, create a sense of brevity and balance in between the hard-hitting scenes, which she delivers well. I would have liked to have seen her play a few more roles in person, as sometimes only a screen was used to convey the story, and Green was left sat on a chair side stage watching. Green certainly delivers an impressive, high-stamina performance, however.

Overall, Mrs Dalloway is certainly an interesting and unique night out at the theatre. Whilst often what it’s trying to achieve theatrically can be confusing, it conveys a strong message that Green delivers with a talented ease. Perhaps I just didn’t quite understand the vision, as many in the audience thoroughly enjoyed this, but it somewhat missed the mark for me.

Mrs Dalloway plays at Storyhouse Chester until 06 June 2026.

★★★

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