Marking the 100-year anniversary of Virginia Wolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Oxford's Creation Theatre triumph with a hugely inventive adaption of the famous novel.

Perhaps not as elegant as The London Library, where the production was initially staged, the location for our Oxford meeting with Mrs. Dalloway is a disused shop (formerly an office supplies store). The large, empty space is dressed simply, with a few tables, chairs and lamps, creating a sense of the period. We are in post-war London, the residence of an upper-class woman.

After being politely offered a Bourbon biscuit or a piece of Battenburg cake, along with a cup of lemonade to wash it down, audience members are given headphones.

Woolf’s modernist novel uses stream-of-consciousness techniques to explore her characters’ inner lives. Director Helen Tennison's skilful adaptation gives the audience the opportunity to listen in to the characters' inner monologues. As we watch the actors convey emotions with their faces and movements, we hear their characters’ internal voices. Spoken interactions are accompanied by the secret thoughts behind them. Irritations are revealed, memories and regrets shared.

In this production, we also share the space with the performers. Rather than being stuck to one spot, audience members are encouraged to walk around, getting as close to the action as we want. Sometimes though, this also means moving out of the way when the actor is heading straight for the place where we are standing.

The realisation that the performance will not be confined to the building we are in first comes with the arrival of Peter Walsh (Dominic Brewer), an introspective man from Clarissa’s past, who has just returned from India and still harbours unresolved feelings for her. We see Peter arrive when Clarissa notices him through the window. Walking purposefully across Park End Street, he attempts to have a conversation with Clarissa through the glass, before coming inside.

Three actors play the part of Clarissa Dalloway: Julie Cheung-Inhin, Lucinda Lloyd and Tracy Bargate. Perhaps this is a nod to the novel's theme of identity, with each Clarissa representing a different element of her character. On a more practical level, having three Clarissas helps when the audience is split into three separate groups, each invited to follow their own Clarissa. After a graceful and expressive first section of the play, the three Clarissas then leave the building separately.

In the novel, Mrs. Dalloway takes a short walk through the streets of London on a day in June. On this particular day in June, we take a short walk around the nearby Oxford streets. This is where the production takes on an extra dimension. Quite what passers-by make of the sight of a woman from the 1920s walking down the street, followed by a group of headphone-wearing theatre-goers, is difficult to say. We take a pleasant stroll down by the river and along a few back streets, listening in on Mrs. Dalloway’s thoughts and concerns as we go. Clarissa’s walk is interrupted on several occasions by encounters with her acquaintances. Locals, enjoying the evening, look on with curosity, as a couple in period costume chat about the daily doings of 1920s life. Every so often we have to pause, as we wait for a gap in the traffic, so we can cross the road. When it arrives, Mrs. Dalloway takes the lead and on ‘we plunge!’

I liked the inclusion of a little flower stall part way through the route. Surrounded by blooms, Clarissa reflects on life, death, and the passing of time to Miss Pym (Lydia-May Cooney). A nice visual addition is the projection of a video on Clarissa’s dress as her memories are triggered.

The three Clarissas, along with accompanying audience members, converge in an open grassy area near the river. It's here that we meet the character of Septimus Warren Smith, a World War I veteran, who is suffering from severe post-traumatic stress. Mrs. Dalloway never meets Smith. His story runs parallel to hers, but she hears about his death during the party later that day and it affects her. Our meeting with Smith beneath the trees, with the sun beating down on us, is intense and emotionally charged.

When we get back, just in time for the party, a Master of Ceremonies announces the arrival of the guests. It is a party attended by various members of the British elite, including the Prime Minister, no less. Sally Seaton (Emma Fenney), Clarissa’s bold and rebellious friend from youth is also there. And, of course, we, the audience, also attend.

"How awfully good of you to come!" one of the Clarissas says to me.

“Well, thank you. I’m glad I came.”

The staging of this production perfectly matches the style of Woolf's novel. It allows us to step into the world of Mrs. Dalloway. The story shows how people’s lives can reflect and resonate with each other, even if they are not in the same physical space. As a piece of theatre, Mrs. Dalloway is both inventive and highly immersive.