Naked Boys Reading: Virginia Woolf

A naked male reading Virginia Woolf is both vulnerable and a challenge, especially in the run-up to International Women’s Day. Four carefully curated passages were themed loosely around clothes and gender. The first reader was hasty but clear. His obvious gender not-withstanding, he embodied the self-consciousness of Woolf’s insecure character. The enunciation of the second and third readers were not as polished, leaving us to supply our own inflections and irony to the bare words. The third reader, unamplified and agile, convincingly portrayed Woolf’s ‘Orlando’ transforming from boy into girl, impassive, modest and then indignant, altogether a most accomplished performance.

Marlborough Pub & Theatre, 6 March 2015
3.5 stars
Andrew Connal