Brilliant; a literary masterpiece - Rated 
Edward Albee is a criminally underrated playwright of an era which produced similarly brilliant artists like Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill. Albee is right up there with the greatest of the greats, with this, his most famous play.
'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' is shocking, disturbing, and profoundly thought-provoking. The amalgamation of imported European absurdism and harsh, biting realism is skilfully managed to produce a piece of drama so equally sad, haunting and hilarious. There are some brilliant lines to come out of this text - Albee makes you laugh out loud at the weird and wonderful world of George and Martha (named for the Washingtons) as he paints his portrait of a warped marriage, so at odds with the American Dream.
The play centres around two couples: George and Martha - who express their love for one another through dysfunctional bickering, cutting insults and vitriolic disgust - and Nick and Honey, the guests of the older couple's bizarre performance. The hosts proceed to enact a metatheatrical performance within a performance, but with shattering results for all parties. The characters are full of life, full of laughter, tears, bitter disappointment, love, hate - they are, for all the absurdism, frighteningly real.
I would definitely recommend this play to anyone looking for a disturbing, upsetting, hilarious and deeply insightful performance, and a masterclass in the best of post-war American drama. Truly a wonderful work which should survive for generations to come.
A tense and disturbing piece of drama - Rated
Before embarking on a reading of this play be warned that the entire piece is an emotional onslaught as family values are attacked, the entire concept of marriage is undermined and no character emerges unscathed by the proceedings of the long and boozy night over which the play is set. Confining the play almost entirely to the living room of George and Martha, screwed up couple number one, and making the only other characters in the play their guests, Nick and Honey, screwed up couple number two, results in a tense and claustrophobic piece of drama. Add to this an extremely large amount of booze and the inevitable revelation of long kept and destructive secrets, and the play becomes a damning indictment of both the institution of marriage and the destructive capabilities that couples can inflict upon each other.
Great play! - Rated
This play is incredibly intense- the characters are so wrought up in a hell, the hell of America during this period, the hell of the Cold War and history's imprint on the future as well as the hell of the coming age of science mixed in with the hell of suburbia. The language is explosive and the atmosphere is about as heavy as thunder cloud about to collapse. Reading this play is like literally jumping into the hell of life for a brief moment, yet in the hysteric tragedy of their lives comes an immense satisfaction as you make it to the last page. Read it or see the film with Lizzie Taylor and Richard Burton.
Brilliant! - Rated
I have just watched a production of who's afraid of virginia woolf in Queens University Belfast and I must admit that this dark tragi-comedy is one of the most enjoyable yet harrowing plays i have ever had the oppourtunity to watch! The film has nothing on the play despite miss Taylor being a wonder, yet i did have the fortune of watching some amazing actors! If you have an interest in American theatre, in fact if you have an interest in people read this play, it is a must!
Who's afraid of Edward Albee? - Rated
Albee's most renowned, and perhaps greatest play, "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?", is a work of seminal genius. Set in a single room over the course of one night, alcoholics, George and Martha, play host to young couple Nick and Honey. In due course, each character becomes increasingly intoxicated, and drop hints and information about their lives. Written in a colloquial manner, imitating authentic speech, Albee creates a beautifuly paced and written satire on American society. Originally rejected by many critics of the time as "vulgar", the play now stands as one of literay's finest works. This really is an essential read. Frankly, Albee has constructed a masterpiece, capable of deep meaning and satitre, yet at the same time criticing American society with sardonic bitterness.
|
