Edward Albee is an insightful, witty, funny and risqué playwright.
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? was written in 1962. It premiered on Broadway with the great Respect for Acting author and actress Uta Hagen as Martha, and Arthur Hill as George.
Now, 63 years later, it still has audiences filling theatre seats to see it.
No wonder. The characters and dialogue are utterly compelling.
Albee is quoted in the STC program as saying, “The responsibility of the writer is to be a sort of demonic social critic – to present the world and people in it as he sees it and say, Do you like it? If you don’t like it, change it.”
The current production, directed by Sarah Goodes, is fast and furious and delightfully invigorating. Goodes has chosen to open the play with Martha (Kat Stewart) and husband George (David Whiteley) suspended above the stalls in a balcony loge. The audience’s attention is drawn upwards by the resonating sound of Martha’s mischievous, raucous laugh. It becomes her signature sound throughout the play.
They waddle into their lounge room together. They have been to her father’s party at the University and have invited a naive young couple to drinks. It’s 2am in the morning. Martha calls for George to get her a drink on the rocks.
The bar is a kind of shrine at the centre back of the stage. It is the centre piece of the room and of their lives.
The young couple arrive – the ambitious young Nick from the Biology Faculty, (Harvey Zielinski) and his sweet, unacademic wife, (Emily Goddard). George is very generous with the drinks. The fun begins..
Martha and George are very attached and in love. Like-minded. However, they compensate for their self doubt by creatively destroying each other. Playing games involving illusion and reality, stepping over the line. They have their new audience now at 2am – two strangers they can terrify and manipulate in order to entertain each other.
Kat Stewart is a magnificent Martha. She is charming, fierce, feisty and fascinating. She moves seductively around the stage and spits her jokes and insults like sweet venom.
David Whiteley is also charismatic and cleverly cruel as George, with a quiet approach and a smooth accent (reminiscent of Tom Lehrer, the famous Bostonian mathematician, songwriter and comedian).
Harvey Zielinski as Nick, is convincing as the conservative and arrogant scientist, somewhat lacking in humour and experience. A lot of young men in that era were potentially chauvinistic.
Emily Goddard is great as Nick’s wife Honey. She has some very funny innocent moments, and a surprising drunken interpretive dance routine. She has her sad moments as well.
Goodes has directed the reflective, tragic and sad moments of the play very well. It’s important to have this balance. The games involving ridicule and humiliation that Martha and George play make more sense then.
The traditional 60s set and costumes by Harriet Oxley are very authentic –
No frills, bare feet, books on the floor and the ever-present bar.
Grace Ferguson has done a superb job as composer and sound designer.
The subtle echo on Martha’s guttural laugh is great.
Ethan Hunter, second composer and sound designer also adds to the atmosphere of the show. The door chimes when things get desperate for example and lots of great ideas.
Matt Scott did a wonderful job with the lighting design. The play spans a midnight to dawn scenario so the outside area of the house lighting is important.
WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? is an inspiring and uplifting piece of theatre that you must see. A very rich production. It plays at the Ros Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay, until the 14th December, 2025.
