This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
In 2005, American playwright Edward Albee told interviewer Jeffrey Brown that “the purpose of serious theater has always been to hold a mirror up to people.” Now audiences might see themselves inside a production of Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” on stage through June 9 at Theatrical Outfit. The classic play made its Broadway debut at Billy Rose Theatre in 1962, depicting two married couples struggling with, as protagonist George puts it, “truth and illusion.” But how many layers of illusion must we remove to reveal the truth?
As the play begins, we observe George (Steve Coulter) and Martha (Tess Malis Kincaid), who return from a cocktail party at 2 a.m. — oddly late for a middle-aged couple leaving a work party, alerting us of the strangeness to come. Sure enough, Martha has invited a young couple — at the suggestion of her father, the college president — to drop by for a nightcap, despite the hour. George and Martha seem unhappy, nitpicking at each other to the point of cruelty. By the time Nick (Justin Walker) and his wife, Honey (Devon Hales), ring the doorbell, tension has mounted. It seems unlikely the couple will stay, given the odd environment — yet they do.
At first, Nick and Honey seem to be the opposite of George and Martha. Unlike George, who is mowed over by Martha’s nasty attitude and emasculating comments, Nick is the prototypical “manly man”: attractive, self-assured and in charge of his lady. He’s a new professor in the college’s biology department, working on research projects that make George, a professor of history, uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Martha, who is overbearing and tasteless, contrasts with politely meek Honey.
But as the night unravels, similarities emerge. Both couples deal with expectations — Nick and Honey’s families have known each other and predicted marriage since their childhoods; Martha and her father pressured George to be more academically ambitious. As the drinks continue to pour, discontentment with life spills from the older couple to the younger.
Credit: Photo by Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Photo by Casey Gardner Ford
Coulter embodies George, who pivots between being the foolish butt of his wife’s jokes and a knowing host with a secret upper hand. Along with Kincaid’s Martha, the couple evokes amusement, disgust and, finally, pity. Meanwhile, Walker and Hales are a well-cast match — and, once Nick and Honey devolve into a chaotic mess, the actors are up to the challenge. Of particular note is Hales, whose emotive expressions and movements are a highlight as things get crazier.
Much happens offstage in this production — Honey’s repetitive illness in the powder room; Martha’s and Nick’s kitchen shenanigans — but with the direction of Outfit Artistic Director Matt Torney, it’s tough to feel left out or clueless as to what is happening. For the duration of all three acts, we are part of this party; patrons even joked in the lobby that they craved their own cocktail while watching George tend bar onstage.
Certain “aha” moments, in which the audience thinks they have discovered the play’s point, arise throughout Act II and Act III. To Albee’s credit — and to the credit of the cast — any of our hypotheses seem to work. Until they don’t. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” offers the audience a thousand-piece puzzle and doesn’t stop taking pieces away. Soon, there’s nothing left.
Credit: Photo by Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Photo by Casey Gardner Ford
The play’s title refers to “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” from Disney’s 1933 cartoon “Three Little Pigs” and serves as animal symbolism — though it is unclear why George and Martha have rewritten it to refer to the author Virginia Woolf. In addition to a wolf, a small rodent pervades the narrative: George describes his father-in-law as a mouse with red eyes; Nick calls his wife a church mouse. However, the shocking ending shows Martha, formerly a wolf, now a mouse at the mercy of George, who has reminded her that even illusions must have rules. As we watch George comfort his wife, he sings, “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf,” and she tearfully answers, “I am.” Without her illusions, Martha feels eaten alive, reduced to nothingness.
Albee’s play was awarded a Tony in 1963, the year following its Broadway debut, and stagings of “Woolf” continue. At its core, this is a story about the delicate nature of appearances — a timeless theme inside a beautiful midcentury wrapper created, in this case, by scene designers Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay, set decorator Caroline Cook and lighting designer Ben Rawson.
A production done this well requires the best of all elements: genius writing, a talented cast and a hardworking creative team. As with any art form, both the idea and execution must be flawless. Theatrical Outfit’s production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is an artful staging, inviting us to look closely at ourselves.
THEATER REVIEW
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Through June 9 at Theatrical Outfit. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $15-$50. 84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta. 678-528-1500, theatricaloutfit.org
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Denise K. James is an ArtsATL senior editor.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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