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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
May. 7th, 2007 11:49 amI went to the Loeb Ex production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Edward Albee), and was very much impressed.
It's a cutting sort of play (plot description in the Wikipedia article linked to above), lots of sniping and arguing; not an easy piece to watch or to perform well. It all takes place in the host couple's living room, and the Loeb Ex was set up to be the living room, with lots of seating around the perimeter, most of which were for the audience. This is the first time I've gotten to sit on a squashy sofa while watching a play. It was technically in the round, but with sitting in the set, the walls encompassing the audience with the actors, it felt more immediate, slightly different than a regular production, the distance diminished to nothing.
The play not only shows the not-pretty dynamics that can develop between a couple, but also questions the role of 'necessary' fictions, whether they really are necessary or become crutches, ways of avoidance, which keep the person stuck there, unable to move on, to heal, to accept and move on, to choose change instead of nursing what cannot be changed.
The actors did a great job with their roles. I hope I'm never in a relationship like George and Martha's*; I'd crack. I wouldn't be particularly happy to be in one like Honey and Nick's, either, keeping up a facade of fine-fine with smile, while underneath things are rather different.
A side note: they did use the tune for "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" as originally intended by the playwright. I suppose a small college production isn't charged much (or perhaps they didn't ask permission?).
* I suppose I should've thought of the Washingtons, but I kept imagining hippos instead.
It's a cutting sort of play (plot description in the Wikipedia article linked to above), lots of sniping and arguing; not an easy piece to watch or to perform well. It all takes place in the host couple's living room, and the Loeb Ex was set up to be the living room, with lots of seating around the perimeter, most of which were for the audience. This is the first time I've gotten to sit on a squashy sofa while watching a play. It was technically in the round, but with sitting in the set, the walls encompassing the audience with the actors, it felt more immediate, slightly different than a regular production, the distance diminished to nothing.
The play not only shows the not-pretty dynamics that can develop between a couple, but also questions the role of 'necessary' fictions, whether they really are necessary or become crutches, ways of avoidance, which keep the person stuck there, unable to move on, to heal, to accept and move on, to choose change instead of nursing what cannot be changed.
The actors did a great job with their roles. I hope I'm never in a relationship like George and Martha's*; I'd crack. I wouldn't be particularly happy to be in one like Honey and Nick's, either, keeping up a facade of fine-fine with smile, while underneath things are rather different.
A side note: they did use the tune for "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" as originally intended by the playwright. I suppose a small college production isn't charged much (or perhaps they didn't ask permission?).
* I suppose I should've thought of the Washingtons, but I kept imagining hippos instead.