Playwright: Edward Albee
At: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis
Phone: (773) 753-4472; $35-$50
Runs through: Oct. 24
Although the political overtones (it was born in a Cold War environment and speaks to that) of what many consider master American dramatist Edward Albee's masterpiece are no longer applicable, the blistering drama remains an intense portrayal of marital dysfunction.
And what power Court Theatre's production of Albee's 1961 powerhouse possesses. Under Charles Newell's restrained and thoughtful direction, this evening in Hell comes to tortured and thought-provoking life. From Jack Magaw's detailed livingroom set to an enormously talented ensemble that makes one wonder how they can possibly give so much night after night, this is apt demonstration that Albee's play has the timeless appeal of a true classic.
For those of you unfamiliar with the play (and its lauded Mike Nichols film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton), the story centers on one night in a small New England academic town, bucolic on the outside, and demonic on the inside, especially in the home of George (Kevin Gudahl) and Martha (Barbara E. Robertson), a husband and wife who are found in Webster's next to the definitions for codependent and alcoholic. After 20 years of wedded bliss and acid, the pair speak in a language dominated by a twisted kind of love melded with a perverse hatred that turns their home and relationship into a battlefield where words slice, sting, and explode just like the weapons on a real battlefield. Martha, daughter of the university president, had once hoped that George would follow in her father's footsteps. When that doesn't happen, Martha sees George as a failure, unable to deliver on the promise of a man who could be a substitute for her father, when no one ever could. After years of not being good enough, George has developed his own self-defense mechanisms, in the end more cutting and vicious than his wife's derision. Unwittingly brought into this strained relationship is a new couple, invited over for drinks late one night after a faculty party, Nick (Lance Stuart Baker) and Honey (Whitney Sneed). Nick is the new 'golden boy' a 28-year-old biology professor; his wife Honey is a fragile, unbalanced woman. Their marriage reflects the dysfunction of George and Martha, and provides a kind of portrait of what's to come, even though the roles may be reversed. In one long night of drinking and discourse, we bear witness to a terrifying clash of forces, and no one can ever be sure who will emerge victorious (if anyone) and who will be mortally wounded (all of them).
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is an actor's play, its success rises and falls on thespian (and directorial) interpretation. Newell's cast is nearly flawless, with the women in the cast having the upper hand. Barbara Robertson again stands out (she truly dominates Chicago theater and is amazing in her versatility) as Martha, by turns fiery, sex-starved, pathetic, and enraged, Robertson creates a near madwoman for whom we can feel sympathy. Whitney Sneed channels Sandy Dennis's Honey in the film version, but adds a few tics and quirks of her own, making Honey the pitiable center of the play. This is truly a breakout role for Sneed, who demonstrates here that she has the chops to do almost anything.
Grueling, unpleasant, and often uncomfortable, this is a play you go to see not so much for entertainment, but for how artistic vision can be honed to the sharpness of a scalpel. Cutting and not very good for you, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is disturbing and memorable.