Suranne Jones goes all Orlando

She takes the title role in Sarah Ruhl’s stage adaptation of Woolf’s ground-breaking novel.

Best known for playing Rachel Bailey in police drama Scott And Bailey or her long-running role as Karen McDonald in Coronation Street, Jones was last seen at the Exchange in Blithe Spirit in 2009.

Woolf’s novel about sex, love, and history romps across continents and centuries, telling the story of young nobleman who woos and wins the hearts of grand and fallen women. Among his conquests are Russian royalty, Queen Elizabeth I and a Spanish dancer.

Betrayed by his one true love and hounded out of England, he falls asleep for seven days, wakes up as a woman and has to find her way back home in a journey that takes almost 400 years.

The production is directed by Max Webster, whose previous Royal Exchange credits include the hugely successful To Kill A Mockingbird last year, and includes emphasis on live music and visual elements.

It runs from Thursday to March 22.

Box Office: 0161 833 9833 or www.royalexchange.co.uk.