While attending a conference in Washington, DC, last Friday, I had the good fortune to snag a ticket to Arena Stage’s presentation of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”. The much-acclaimed production transferred from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company as one of the main events within Arena’s 2010-2011 Edward Albee Festival. While I have to credit Steppenwolf for bringing this phenomenal production to life, I’ll thank both companies for collaborating to bring this great production to more audiences.
Though I’ve seen lots of plays by other playwrights, and the famous film of this one, I had never seen an Edward Albee play live before. I’m grateful that this production was my first. True to its promise, it was an authentic and electrifying tour-de-force of great American theatre.
The four actors kept me on the edge of my seat for the three-hour and ten-minute, no-holds-barred “molotov cocktail” of a play, directed with keen precision by Pam MacKinnon. There’s so many layers to Albee’s characters and such richness revealed in each and every scene, it’s hard to soak it all in through only one performance.
The program notes explained that “Woolf” almost won Mr. Albee his first Pulitzer Prize in 1963, but the prize for drama wasn’t awarded that year because of the presence of some adult content in the play. “Woolf” hardly fits the description of being too controversial by today’s standards, but it is no less effective or relevant than it was at its premiere. At first, the two couples in the play seem like they come from any typical dysfunctional American marriage. But mid-way through the second act, as the characters go far beyond a little nightcap and playful but snippy chit-chat, you start to question the source of all the obvious pain beneath the surface, and of course, all is revealed in its poignant ending.
I don’t know if it was so deliberate, but Ms. MacKinnon staged the liquor cart in a prominent corner, several steps away from the center “ring” of the living room set. (I happened to be seated to the side, right in front of it, so I noticed it a lot). The liquor cart almost became a character in the play itself. As the marital games unfolded over the course of the evening, much like a boxing match, the characters retreated frequently, “between rounds,” to the liquor cart, where they rested and refueled, deciding just who they would attack next in the next conversation, and how, while dropping ice cubes deliberately into their glasses and pouring another drink. They go back and forth again and again, almost begging me to count the number of cocktails consumed. I lost count and eventually didn’t care, much like the two smashed couples. I felt drawn into the play, among these characters, because of these deliberate trips to the booze and back.
Though all four actors deserve praise for their well-crafted performances, Amy Morton’s performance as Martha was the most stunning. Ms. Morton captured attention from her first entrance, and began to reveal the many facets to her character one at a time: well-spoken, smart, strong-willed, powerful, angry, cunning, funny, a little saucy. Martha has the upper hand for most of the play, but ultimately becomes extremely vulnerable. Ms. Morton tantalized and provoked the audience in each of her scenes with complete command of her character.
Tracy Letts’ portrayal of George was equally brilliant, if more gently controlled. Mr. Letts takes full advantage of the thinly-veiled assaults that George lobs at the other three characters throughout the first half of the story, particularly toward the younger and more virile professor, Nick (played straight-up and neat by Madison Dirks). George might appear to be emasculated by his wife, but Mr. Letts’ never lets you think that George is not in control of his own agenda. He tosses out George’s subtle, sarcastic barbs like little pieces of poison candy thrown from a beautiful parade float just waiting for a kid to come along and pick them up. Mr. Letts lets go full-throttle in the explosive, exhausting finale. As George plays his last hand against his wife, Martha finally confesses to the terror buried inside.
I loved Carrie Coon’s performance as the lightweight, waspy Honey, too. She delivered perfectly-timed bits of comic relief that are written within emotionally-charged scenes. The costumes, lighting, and scenery were all beautifully designed. I can’t imagine a better interpretation of this classic American play.
Being the arts administrator that am, I also couldn’t help but be impressed by my first visit to the new Mead Center for the Performing Arts, the new home of the Arena Stage company. Three state-of-the-art performance spaces are nestled within an airy, glass cocooned lobby, right on the southeast DC waterfront. One of the spaces is named the “Kogod Cradle,” a creative name that immediately conjures the idea of nurturing fresh new work. Congratulations to Washington, DC, and Arena Stage leadership, for this breathtaking new home for theatre. I’ll be back for sure.
