Virginia Woolf’s poetic, genre-resistent novel The Waves might not feel like an obvious candidate for a theatrical adaptation, but Flora Wilson Brown takes on the challenge with aplomb in this excellent new production at Jermyn Street Theatre.
Director Júlia Levai reimagines the lives of friends Rhoda, Bernard, Susan, Neville, Jinny, and Louis in a loosely ambiguous time period, set against Tomás Palmer’s stark, metallic set design that becomes etched with the sextuplet’s memories — both literally and figuratively. Costume Designer Annett Black initially has the characters dressed in white t-shirts emblazoned with their names, which they shed as they grow up and into themselves, trying to discover who they are while also acknowledging the extent to which they are the sum of their experiences.
Brown’s adaptation beautifully captures the fragility of time and the ineffability of identity that Woolf describes so masterfully in her original text. The script embraces Woolf’s penchant for blending poetry with prose, with characters’ soliloquies frequently overlapping and actors switching characters to highlight the transience of their relationships. A seventh character, boarding school chum Percival, acts as a voiceless literary device in the novel, and he’s an equally effective dramatic anchor in this play. He’s the only character unassigned to an actor, with his presence instead felt through other characters acting as stand-ins in conversations or reflecting on their time with him to the audience.
The Waves is cast brilliantly. Each actor brings out the individual characters’ unique dispositions while also displaying the kind of chemistry that makes it easy to believe that this is a friendship group whose ties have been formed, tested, and ultimately strengthened over decades. Breffni Holahan’s earthy, wild-eyed Susan is a perfect counterpart to Tom Varey’s robust yet dreamy Bernard; Pedro Leandro’s queer literary star Neville, full of hope and heartbreak in equal measures, meets his match in carefree party girl Syakira Moelad. As Woolf’s pseudo-stand-in, Ria Zmitrowicz perfectly portrays Rhoda’s anxieties and yearning for control, while Archie Backhouse brings a charmingly dry humour to Aussie Louis.
The production is a slick and speedy 90 minutes, and while some of the exposition can feel too rushed on occasion — particularly where the omnipresent Percival is concerned — it’s remarkable how rich these characters, their relationships, and their world feel. This creative team have truly leaned into the experimental nature of Woolf’s text, and all of these choices seamlessly interlock to create an irresistible piece of drama that eloquently questions and magnifies the human condition.
The Waves runs until 23rd May at Jermyn Street Theatre, with tickets available at: https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk
Reviewer: Olivia Cox
Reviewed: 21st April 2026
North West End UK Rating: