REVIEWS: Mind Games, Madness And Marriages Merge In A Captivating Expression Of Edward Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

Following on from 2023 and 2024 seasons in Melbourne, Sarah Goodes’ (Director) presentation of Edward Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? opens in Sydney.  First presented over sixty years ago, this fiery four hander remains as thrilling and relevant as it shows that some aspects of human behaviour are eternal.

Set in Post War New England, the three act, three hour play centres on the events that unfold when Martha (Kat Stewart) invites one of the newest faculty members and his wife to after party drinks with her husband George (David Whiteley).  Martha is the 50 something only daughter of the president of a lesser-known New England college.  Her husband George, six years her junior, has been part of the University’s History department since before their marriage.  Formerly playing hostess for her father’s faculty parties after her mother’s death, Martha has continued honouring her father’s instruction to make the new staff feel welcome, but new Biology lecturer Nick (Harvey Zielinski) and his meek wife Honey (Emily Goddard), fresh from the Mid-west, probably should have declined the offer for a late night/early morning drink.

The work takes place in Martha and George’s living room so designer Harriet Oxley has shrunk the expansive space of the Roslyn Packer Theatre stage with additional velvet curtains reducing the height and width of the space while still giving the impression that the couple live pretty well.  The living room still sports high ceilings with dado rail separating wallpaper and painted surface while wall sconces provide uplighting and remove the need for any central lighting.  A well-stocked bar dominates the rear wall in a space that may have once been a fireplace, made redundant by the wall mounted radiator.  A three-seater mid-century modern sofa sits opposite a wickerwork armchair which flows on from the idea that the couple have accumulated different pieces over time.  The broader location of a New England university town is conveyed with the images of the leafy laneway outside the house projected above the bar. 

A battle of wits and wills which exposes the flaws in personalities plays out in a work that seems incredibly unhinged until the penny drops and the true plot and plan of the evening becomes apparent.  In the 21st century when people are conditioned to have more agency and stand up to what they feel is wrong or leave uncomfortable situations, the idea that Nick and Honey stay to witness Martha and George’s dysfunctional relationship and repeatedly be insulted may seem somewhat odd until the underlying motives and strategies become clear.  Stewart, Whiteley, Goddard and Zielinski deliver strong performances that ensure that the flaws of all the characters eventually become apparent as even the most innocent holds an unspoken agenda that has relied on deception and deviancy. 

While some may be hesitant to see a show scheduled at 3 hours with two intervals, Goodes ensures that the work is presented at a good pace so the time flies by.  There is a variety of performance styles and full utilisation of the space to keep the audience guessing what will come next while reinforcing how erratic the quartet are.  Albee’s script has times when characters are absent from the stage, engaged in other areas of the house which allows the audience to see how they interact when their significant others aren’t present leading to the layered secrets and stories and ultimately ammunition for the hidden agendas. 

WHO’S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? is one of the classic American plays that won the Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Actor and Best Actress in 1963 and was later turned into a movie in 1966.  Feisty and fiery, it remains relevant as despite all the progress society and culture has made, human behaviour and motivations remains consistent.

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Sydney Theatre Company

Photos: Prudence Upton

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