Friday April 26, the UI Theater Department hosted the opening night for the play “Orlando” in the Forge Theater at 7:30 p.m. The play, adapted from the classic Virginia Woolf novel of the same name, explores themes of sexuality, self-identity and what it means to be alive. Directed by Blake Watson, there were shows the weekend of the 26-28 and there will be another weekend of performances May 3-5 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2-4 p.m. on Sunday.
The play follows the story of Orlando, a young nobleman played by Kylie Morris, whose story starts in Elizabethan England where he serves Queen Elizabeth (Melissa Van Der Veen) as a steward and lover, and she lavishes him with riches and status. As a 16-year-old boy, however, Orlando’s passions cannot be contained, and he soon abandons the love of the Queen to explore many new relationships and affairs.
As Orlando grows older, he meets and becomes enchanted with a beautiful Russian princess named Sasha (Kari Wilsey). Although he is engaged to another, Orlando falls in love with Sasha, and they run away from the court to London together. Later, however, Orlando experiences his first heartbreak when Sasha abandons him, and he flees to Constantinople to drown out the pain.
While in Constantinople, the story takes a drastic turn when a 30-year-old Orlando sleeps for 7 days and then emerges as a woman. She quickly adapts to her new life as a woman and decides to return to England where she can avoid the scrutiny of her confused acquaintances.
Orlando quickly discovers that her life as a woman is completely different from the one she lived as a man, yet as she adapts, we realize that the spirit of Orlando remains the same no matter what gender she appears as. The entire adventure spans over the course of 500 years, Orlando sees the turn of several centuries and when leaving the theater, it feels as if viewers have lived many different lives right alongside Orlando.
Woolf’s “Orlando: A Biography” was originally published in 1928, and it is as revolutionary now as it was almost 100 years ago. It boldly criticizes the constraints of gender roles and calls attention to the ways in which gender and sexuality impact who a person is and how they are perceived.
Full of both laughs and moments of contemplation, the show was a joy to experience from start to finish. Featuring a small cast of only 7 ensemble members, audiences could hardly blink before there were costume changes and a constant flurry of new characters being played by the same rotation of actors. The only character who remained consistent was Orlando, played by Kylie Morris, who managed to artfully portray every version of Orlando from teenage boy to heartbroken man, to middle aged woman. Morris’s acting was enchanting, and as a slew of people fell in and out of love with Orlando, so too did the audience.
The intimate setting of the Forge theater also adds to the experience of viewing this show. Being in a such a small space brings the audience into Orlando’s world, and there was considerable audience interaction throughout the play.
While watching “Orlando” it feels as if audiences are experiencing each of Orlando’s triumphs, failures and heartbreaks themselves. Viewers have a front row seat to Orlando’s life, and it is at once beautifully intimate and heartbreakingly tragic. Leaving the Forge Theater almost felt as if parting with an old friend, and the questions posed by the show are likely to follow viewers for days or weeks after the final curtain falls.
A brilliant and masterful performance that will thrill audiences, UI students and the Moscow community shouldn’t let the chance to see “Orlando” pass them by. This is the final show of the 2023-2024 school year, but the Theater Department will have several performances throughout the Summer through the Idaho Repertory Theater. A full schedule of upcoming events can be found here.
Grace Giger can be reached at [email protected]