Michael Grandage will direct stage and screen performer Emma Corrin (The Crown) in Neil Bartlett’s stage adaptation of the Virginia Woolf novel Orlando. The production is set to debut in the West End this fall, with dates and a theatre to be announced.
The feminist classic spans nearly 400 centuries and follows a poet who changes sex from man to woman and meets various key figures of English literary history. A movie adaptation, written and directed by Sally Potter, debuted in 1992 with Tilda Swinton in the title role.
“Neil Bartlett’s joyous new adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando dances through time and gender, challenging us to remember that nothing really matters except the courage to be yourself,” says Grandage.
“It is one of the most surprising stories in the English language, and with its inspiring vision of all bodies having equal rights to love, I’m delighted that Michael Grandage Company is returning to the West End with Emma Corrin to bring this timely story to a whole new audience.”
Corrin will play Orlando in the upcoming play, following their performance in Anna X, which earned them a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. On screen, Corrin’s credits include playing Princess Diana in the Netflix hit The Crown, earning them a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award, and SAG and Emmy nominations.
Bartlett’s recent works include In Extremis, Or You Could Kiss Me, Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol—the latter two both played at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Grandage has a career spanning stage and screen, with movie projects including My Policeman (also starring Corrin) and Genius. His stage credits include Red, Photograph 51, Henry V, and The Cripple of Inishmaan.
