Leading Arena Stage’s Edward Albee Festival, The Steppenwolf Theater Company’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a searing and fascinating interpretation of Albee’s epic slice of life and love gone right, wrong and back again. Led by Pulitzer and Tony Award winning Tracy Letts as George and Amy Morton as Martha, the play also features Madison Dirks as Nick and Carrie Coon as Honey, two couples at seemingly dissimilar place in their lives, yet frighteningly similar problems.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? a play in three-acts that debuted in 1962, and explores the uncomfortable (and comfortable?) differences between two couples is a challenging story to like. The characters are brash, acerbic and at times, insufferable. The themes are dark and disturbing, and the language is at times still startling, even in 2011. However, when handled by as talented and distinguished a cast as The Steppenwolf, a play like Virginia Woolf becomes a thing to behold, and a marvelous way to spend an afternoon or evening.
The action opens to a familiar scene: early Americana house with comfortable clutter, comfortable couches, and what should be a comfortable couple, returning home after an evening out. At the outset, George (a history professor at a New England college) and Martha (the dean’s daughter) are seemingly jovial and content. However, from the moment that Martha starts needling George about the name of a movie she can’t remember, the audience becomes acutely aware that hidden not far under the surface of this familiar setting simmers something much larger, and much more subversive, and the tenor of the rest of the play is set. Written with shining dialogue that arcs rapidly between characters, the action is sharp and fast-paced. Moments after the play begins, George pours himself and Martha a drink (the first of many; I lost count somewhere in the middle of the second act), and the guts of the story begin to spill out.
A wry commentary on relationships, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a provocative, probing look into four lives gone awry, and how choices, even small ones, can have dramatic repercussions. Sometimes considered one of the more vulnerable characters, Lett’s George seemed to me anything but. He is pompous, insufferable, witty, and perfect. With his childish games, childish outbursts of anger and childish jabs at Martha—and later, Nick and Honey—Letts brings the difficult character of George to life with wit and perfect timing. As the action unfolds, the childish games, illusions and outbursts become the territory of all the characters, not just George, and this childishness forms a pivotal counterpoint to the very adult themes being explored in the play. Whether Martha is singing “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” to the tune of Disney’s, “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?”, or George is insisting upon playing word games, drinking games or mind games, a childlike theme emerges that makes it easy to both feel sorry for the characters as easily as to lose patience with them.
Like George, Morton’s Martha is witty, acerbic and not a little insufferable herself, and, as the play progresses, so too does her brashness, particularly after Nick and Honey, a young couple newly arrived to the university, drop by for an after-dinner drink. Nick, a slightly set-upon biology professor, and Honey, his wife who suffered a hysterical pregnancy and nurses a strong liking for brandy, are angular and sharp in comparison to the comfortable rivalry between George and Martha. Where the older couple seems to have a better grasp on the breakdown of their relationship, their rivalry, and even the way they treat one another, Nick and Honey seem to be still bound (somewhat) by the newness and exhilaration of their relationship.
Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks complement one another well in these roles. Even though it becomes quickly apparent that their dissatisfaction is actually quite similar to George’s and Martha’s, Nick and Honey cling to their illusions with more tenacity, more obligation, than the older couple, yet they are no less insufferable in their own way. As ice cubes clink and George hands out (many, many) bourbons, brandies and vodkas, Acts II and III give the audience a first-hand, fly-on-the-wall view of two relationships unraveling with frightening ease. Martha and George continue their verbal sparring, Nick loses patience with Honey (and lets his eye drift to Martha, who does nothing but encourage him), Honey drinks herself into a stupor on the bathroom floor, and ultimately, George and Martha let their bitterness, their abuse and their fantasies drive a divide between them that sees Martha and Nick engaging in totally inappropriate, but no less exciting, flirtation right in front of George.
When Woolf debuted in 1962, the use of profanity was not as commonplace as it is today. Yet even if more common, Albee’s careful vocabulary and the accompanying sexual innuendo remains important 40 years later as it serves as a powerful backdrop for how George and Martha treat one another, and how they treat (and ultimately turn on) Nick and Honey. Martha and George hurl abuse at one another (and their guests); George disdains Nick; Nick suffers his wife with impatience; and Honey drinks brandy with gusto. The words they use, combined with the flagrant sexual innuendo between Martha, Nick, and George creates a powerful energy that not only sweeps through the characters, but through the audience, as well. Letts, Morton and Dirks have a ferocious chemistry that trickles off the stage and into the audience, and it was hard not to want to yell at Martha for being so conniving, or to put George in his place, or to even want to check on poor Honey, lying face down on the cold bathroom tile. I almost forgot I was watching a play!
Winner of the 1962 Tony Award, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a beautiful, heart-wrenching spectacle that is absolutely brilliant in both its simplicity and its complexity. Only featuring four characters, the action is tight and fluid; the dialogue riveting; and the spirit of Albee’s original production seems to be as fresh in 2011 as it was in 1962. Perhaps not the easiest story to witness, but nevertheless, The Steppenwolf Theater’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? offers audiences a mesmerizing, riveting, and ultimately superb chance to glimpse first-hand a riveting performance by a cast of extraordinarily talented actors.
Based out of Chicago, The Steppenwolf Theater Company is directed by Artistic Director Martha Lavery. Featuring an ensemble of 43 actors, this talented troupe has performed in theaters across the globe including Broadway, Off Broadway and London. Formed in 1976, the theater produces up to 16 products each year and is dedicated to nurturing new plays as well as opportunities for youth. Don’t miss your chance to experience this stellar cast as they perform Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Arena Stage now through April 10th, in the Kreeger Theater. For more information, please visit Arena Stage’s website or call 202-554-9066.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Directed by Pam MacKinnon
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Arena Stage
1101 6th Street, Southwest
Washington, D.C. 20024
www.arenastage.org
All photos by Michael Brosilow. From top:
(left to right) Carrie Coon, ensemble member Tracy Letts, Madison Dirks and ensemble member Amy Morton.
(left to right) Ensemble members Amy Morton and Tracy Letts.
(left to right) Ensemble members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton.
(left to right) Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks with ensemble members Amy Morton and Tracy Letts.
(left to right) Carrie Coon and Madison Dirks.
(left to right) Ensemble members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton.
Last illustration by Tim O’Brien.
