Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The play is stark and depressing with only a hint of hope at the end. Albee throws dung all over what he sees as the shallow “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” veneer of the 1950’s. I feel that the play succeeded precisely because the picture it paints is so far outside the normal experience of those of us who came of age in the ’60’s, when the play debuted. I read Albee’s first play, “The Zoo Story”, in college. It did not inspire me to pursue his work further. Occasionally over the ensuing decades I heard references to the title of the movie “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, without realizing that it was a play by Albee. I have not yet seen the movie, but plan to do so now that I have read the play.

I recently read the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf, which caused me to recall the title of Albee’s play. I was curious as to how the play related to Woolf herself and her works. “Mrs. Dalloway” depicts the pretensions and social constraints of the “Downton Abbey” generation in Britain, while “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is more of a psychological study of illusion versus reality. Woolf’s work is tragic, but with a dreamlike quality. Albee’s play is an alcohol induced nightmare. His references to Woolf in the title and text of the play parody the “Big Bad Wolf” song from a Disney cartoon that was a staple of children’s television in the 50’s. Woolf, the tragic modernist, struggled with mental illness and ultimately committed suicide. Albee’s main characters, George and Martha, walk a dangerous tightrope as they struggle to deal with their disappointments, both professional and personal.

This New American Library edition of the play is well designed and easy to read. The cover says that it was revised by the author for the 2005 Broadway Revival. I am guessing that this may mean the profanity has been enhanced and updated for contemporary audiences.

This is a play that is set in 3 acts, in one room of the main couple’s house. The play tears apart both marriages. The older couple seems to hate each other, and the younger couple seems to be perfect. But in the end, things change for both couples.

This was a very, very strange book. Plays are not particularly easy to read and this one was no exception. I really don’t think there was much of a plot, and it didn’t have much direction. It did have some funny parts, but mostly it was wild and all over the place.

This is a must-read. Its acerbic dialogues and carefully crafted protagonists make it a unique addition to modern theatre. I first read this many years ago, when I was still in college, and I thought it was extremely funny. Now, I read it again and found it even funnier.

THis edition is the one that the author edited himself for the 2005 Broadway revival. I bought it because I am doing that version as George in the Fall. I am kinda bummed at a few of the sections that Albee deleted but hey people these days have a hard enough time sitting through a play like this that will run close to three hours with intermissions, much less the almost 3 1/2 hour original running time.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is the product of Edward Albee’s pen. The great playwright’s great American play first hit the boards of Broadway in 1962. It was revived for the stage in 2005. It is most widely known and appreciated, however, due to the Mike Nichols directed movie starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal and Sandi Dennis. Taylor and Dennis both won Oscars for their work in the excellent film produced in 1966.
The play reads well. It is domestic comedy and tragedy rolled into one in a powerful play which will punch you in your got. The chief participants are:
George-A 40ish History Professor at a sleepy New England College. George is a manic-depressive who has failed to become the Chairperson of the History Department. He and his wife Martha love one another but are adept in cruel put-downs of one another. They are childless having invented a son called “the little bugger” who is supposedly reaching his twenty-first birthday. George is henpecked, loves to drink and fight with Martha. The names “George” and “Martha Un” remind us of the first POTUS and his spouse Martha. Unlike America’s first presidential couple the modern day George and Martha are a battling, boozing, profane couple dealing with personal emptiness and angst.
Martha: She is in her fifties and is six years older than her uxorious husband. Martha worships her father who is the president of the college where the action of the play occurs. She is alcoholic, unbalanced, and sexually predatory. She constantly makes fun of George excoriating him for his lack of ambition and his inability to meet the high standards for academic achievement set by her father.
Nick-The twenty-eight year old new professor of biology at the college. He is athletic having been a boxer and football player. Nick has a well built body. He and Martha have a sexual encounter. Nick is ambitious and shallow.
Honey-She is the twenty-six year old wife of Nick who pay a call on George and Martha at 2 AM following a get acquainted meeting for new professors on a Saturday night . She wants a child. Honey is a pathetically weak person.
The play will cause you to think and see how a marital relationship can grow sour even though the couple continue to love one another. The play is filled with profanity and sexual metaphors. It is a wild night at the theatre or the movie screen or in your home reading the well crafted words of Albee. This play is worthy of its high regard in American dramatic history. Recommended.

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