Lolita, Daisy, Ophelia: A Love Story

A great turn on famous female characters, and what they would be like if freed from the male voice. Impressive acting, staging, and lighting. This is the one to see.... full review

A fantastically devised play and an achievement of local theater. This was my first time at the Fringe and I'm impressed. Three women wrote, designed, and acted in this piece about finding and claiming voice through solidarity. Watching these classic female characters break out of their male narration and meet ignites new possibilities for themselves and the audience. Excellently imagined and executed!... full review

I was impressed with the ingenuity of the ensemble and how the actor-writers managed to make us reevaluate three iconic characters from literature. Transcending time and space and forcing them to confront one another resulted in a refreshing piece of theater that was both funny and touching.... full review

Low Down A trio of female victims find their voices in literary mash-up. Review What if three unfortunate female characters from fiction could meet up in a literary no-man’s land and give each other the moral support to try and change their own stories? That is the simple premise for this showcase which manages to hold our attention through very good performances and emerge as a fierce and feisty piece of feminist theatre. We hear a male narrator voice read extracts from “Lolita”, “The Great Gatsby”, and “Hamlet”. In turns, the female characters respond with the lines they have said a thousand times before, knowing that their destinies are in the hands of the story-teller. It takes a little while for the characters to notice each... full review

Reviewed by D’Artanyan Lawrence What if Nabokov’s Lolita, Shakespeare’s Ophelia, and Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan could break out of their male-ordained plot lines, and for the first time think for themselves and speak with their own voices? What if we could see them and hear from them as real, multi-dimensional human beings, rather than as symbols or objects of the problems, obsessions, and torments confronting the male characters in their stories? Having escaped from the printed page and unexpectedly coming face-to-face with each other, the three characters, played by Leah Artenian, Savannah Gilmore, and Sophia Brackenridge, come forth with warmth, laughter, joy and wit, as well as fear, anger, and frustration. In other words, they be... full review

Seeing this play was a very entertaining experience, and I would recommend all who are able to see their show once it extends this July. Loved it! ... full review

What an extraordinary play. We live in a world where many of the most celebrated books, television, and film do not do justice to their female characters, if there are female characters at all. Countless classic works present women characters who do not have a voice or agency in their own stories. More than simply exploring these themes, which it does both beautifully and thought provokingly, "Lolita, Daisy, Ophelia: A Love Story" shows by example how not to be such work. This is a play devised, written, and acted by three women. It tells the story of three women through three captivating and magnetic performances. It allows for these three characters--Lolita from "Lolita", Daisy from "The Great Gatsby", and Ophelia from "Hamlet"-- ... full review

An inspired idea, three powerful performances, great writing, great production, and entertaining thought-provoking theatre. You'll never read "Lolita", "The Great Gatsby" or "Hamlet" the same way again.... full review

This is a must see show devised by three talented young actresses giving voice to three iconic women in literature. Lolita (Lolita), Daisy (The Great Gatsby), and Ophelia (Hamlet) find themselves in a space where they are free from the restraints placed on their characters in their stories and through these characters, these young actresses explore restraints placed on women in our society. All three actresses, Leah Artenian, Savannah Gilmore, and Sophia Brackenridge are excellent and I would highly recommend this captivating production. ... full review

This play can be favorably compared to another theatrical masterpiece, Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. These characters are reimagined in a way that will never let you read Lolita, Ophelia, or Daisy in the same way; or any character written through male narration! I look forward to what these talented thespians can accomplish in the future. ... full review