Clarissa Buys The Flowers Herself

by Kate Schwartz

An adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel, Mrs. Dalloway, this play tells the story of one day in the life of a woman as she prepares to host a party. Clarissa Dalloway recalls memories of her life as an adventurous, free-spirited young woman. Thirty years later, the 1918 Pandemic took an enormous toll on her both physically and mentally. Septimus Warren Smith, a “shell-shocked” World War I Veteran, is...

An adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel, Mrs. Dalloway, this play tells the story of one day in the life of a woman as she prepares to host a party. Clarissa Dalloway recalls memories of her life as an adventurous, free-spirited young woman. Thirty years later, the 1918 Pandemic took an enormous toll on her both physically and mentally. Septimus Warren Smith, a “shell-shocked” World War I Veteran, is constantly haunted by flashbacks of World War I. Even though Clarissa and Septimus never meet, they could be the same person. Clarissa questions society’s fervent insistence to move forward as if nothing happened. While she seeks the reverence of everything that was lost due to the Pandemic and War, she deeply reevaluates all the choices she’s made in her life.

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Clarissa Buys The Flowers Herself

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  • Carolynne Wilcox: Clarissa Buys The Flowers Herself by Kate Schwartz
    “

    A marvelously updated version of the original story, given particularly the pandemic parallels of 1918 and our current time, as well as a wonderful, contemporary "face-lift" in terms of other things that may've not been talked about/revealed in the polite society of Woolf's time still being threatened today. Bravo!

    A marvelously updated version of the original story, given particularly the pandemic parallels of 1918 and our current time, as well as a wonderful, contemporary "face-lift" in terms of other things that may've not been talked about/revealed in the polite society of Woolf's time still being threatened today. Bravo!

    ”
  • Emma Goldman-Sherman: Clarissa Buys The Flowers Herself by Kate Schwartz
    “

    This brilliant adaptation of Mrs. Dalloway feels particularly relevant considering the flu pandemic of 1918 and symptoms of Long Covid seem so similar. And women are still treated like children. But what is remarkable is how Schwartz handles the internal sequences of the novel on stage and uses choral sequences, physicality, and the introduction of TS Eliot's poetry to add to the swell of events in a very Woolfian manner. The love between Septimus and Evans is thrilling and poignant, and I can't wait to see it staged!

    This brilliant adaptation of Mrs. Dalloway feels particularly relevant considering the flu pandemic of 1918 and symptoms of Long Covid seem so similar. And women are still treated like children. But what is remarkable is how Schwartz handles the internal sequences of the novel on stage and uses choral sequences, physicality, and the introduction of TS Eliot's poetry to add to the swell of events in a very Woolfian manner. The love between Septimus and Evans is thrilling and poignant, and I can't wait to see it staged!

    ”
  • Elisabeth Giffin Speckman: Clarissa Buys The Flowers Herself by Kate Schwartz
    “

    This is a beautiful adaptation of Mrs. Dalloway that captures so much of the isolation and interiority of the original novel, brought about by war, mental illness, and a recent pandemic, in a way that is familiar and haunting to contemporary audiences. Weaving T.S. Eliot lines within the text in a choral manner, this play has an echoing nature that could be beautifully reflected in design elements.

    I would absolutely love to see this staged!

    This is a beautiful adaptation of Mrs. Dalloway that captures so much of the isolation and interiority of the original novel, brought about by war, mental illness, and a recent pandemic, in a way that is familiar and haunting to contemporary audiences. Weaving T.S. Eliot lines within the text in a choral manner, this play has an echoing nature that could be beautifully reflected in design elements.

    I would absolutely love to see this staged!

    ”