At home with Martha and George

[fiona_grady]

Last week, we entered a small independent theater to see yet another production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". Everything was set up in a room, in front of a fireplace, with all the chairs lined against the walls.  We were literally in their living room, within a foot or two away from the four actors, having to shift a bit when they lunged at each other.

I have seen many productions of Albee's play, some that are world-famous, but none has ever affected me quite that much.  When the audience is so close, the actors cannot relax or slack even for a second: the power and the energy were palatable, and the effect was nearly combustible.

Often, the two secondary characters - Honey and Nick - are easily forgettable, serving only as punching bags for Martha and George's marital and martial games.  In this production, both were memorable, especially Nick.  The actor created a portrait of a young, ambitious and calculating social climber, who thinks that he can somehow win at this game, and in the end, when he is totally degraded, I suddenly felt a tremendous satisfaction.

Ever since seeing it, I keep raving about it, and all my friends are suggesting that we go together, again.

Ah, my dears, some thrills should only be experienced once.