Orlando (59E59 Theaters) NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%

(46 Ratings)

Positive

78%

Mixed

18%

Negative

Members say

Absorbing, Ambitious, Clever, Thought-provoking, Confusing

About the Show

A multifaceted new play inspired by Virginia Woolf's legendary novel.

Lucy Roslyn's new play tells the story of a person seeking escape - just as Virginia Woolf envisioned her own freedom in the pages of "Orlando", a book which strains at the boundaries of identity: are we any one thing? Or are our selves “stacked like dinner plates,” one on top of the other?

Directed by Josh Roche.

Show-Score Member Reviews (46)

Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Ambitious, Excellent staging, direction & lighting, Brilliant performance & script

See it if If you’re up for a marvelous piece of pure, inventive theatre. Roslyn has the chops & talent to pull off using Woolf to reach a larger Truth

Don't see it if You’re looking for the movie, or the book—or Tilda Swinton—they’re not there. But what is there is quite special and very worth seeing. Read more

Magical solo show, Great directing, Great writing, Great acting, Black box at its best

See it if Made audience falling in love with her the second she spoke. So many surprises within the 1hr. Super intimate and heartfelt. A love letter.

Don't see it if You’re not into fringe show or intimate theatre setup. Set is basic with only 1 stool and 1 lamp, but the various effects they produce!! Read more

Minimalist, Queer, Enveloping, Delightful, Clever

See it if You enjoy Virginia Woolf, like one person shows and want to see a quick brief LGBTQ+ love story

Don't see it if You want a bit more “bang for your buck” or have a hard time following stories that jump around in time and space with little to no set

Thought-provoking, Ambitious

See it if You are open to experiencing a meditative reflection on Virginia Woolf’s Orlando exploring variety of selves & genders across time & space.

Don't see it if Unstructured plays using a work of literature aren’t to your liking. Read more

Exquisite, Ambitious, Clever, Thought-provoking

See it if You want to see a quirky homage to Orlando and Virginia Woolf. Lucy Roslyn was charming and I left feeling hopeful.

Don't see it if You don’t like one woman shows or are unfamiliar with Virginia Woolf. You are uncomfortable with personal stories.

Relevant, Thought-provoking, Resonant, Intelligent, Great acting

See it if you are open to a personal play focusing on sexual and gender identity, using Virginia Wolf's novel, Orlando, as a stimulus for explication.

Don't see it if you are not interested in a solo performer sharing very personal details about her life that have universal appeal.

Worthwhile, Dense, Charming actor

See it if you want explore an actor's psyche through literary metaphors.

Don't see it if references to Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West puzzle you.

Intelligent, Great writing, Great acting, Funny, Absorbing

See it if You enjoy well-acted one-person plays. Enjoy pieces that use classic literature as a springboard. You are a romantic.

Don't see it if You are expecting to see an adaptation of the source material. This uses the source material as a kind of prompt. Read more

Critic Reviews (2)

In the solo drama Orlando, writer-performer Lucy Roslyn pairs reflections on Virginia Woolf’s 1928 phantasmagoric novel, also titled Orlando, with the chronicle of a thwarted love affair and the narrator’s effort to remake herself in the aftermath of personal disappointment. Though brief (the running time is one hour), this is an ambitious play engagingly (at times compellingly) performed.
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"Roslyn is an engaging presence, evoking both lovers’ insecurities with pathos yet confidently commanding the stage alone for an uninterrupted hour. Directed by Josh Roche, the play moves swiftly, with Roslyn calibrating tempo and dynamics, like a virtuoso with a sonata, according to the mood and emotion of each scene."
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Trailer

Creative team