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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > November > 15 > Entry
Review: ‘Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf?’
Be it a credit card bill or an old tee shirt, ripping things to shreds is just plain satisfying. It feels good to tear things apart, and although in the twenty-first century we might prefer to watch people hacked to pieces with words instead of weapons, the spectacle has kept us entertained since ancient Rome.
In Edward Albee’s masterpiece, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” the characters dive headfirst into confrontation, pulling no punches and sparing no feelings. They claw into each other, often going straight for the jugular.
A play of juxtapositions and paradoxes, “Who’s Afraid” is a battleground for the clash between ambition and disillusionment, innocence and experience. And in the production playing at St. Edward’s University through Nov. 21, the contrasts continue across the stage — two students play against seasoned stage veterans.
As George and Martha, the charismatic and vitriolic couple at the center of the play, Ev Lunning Jr. and Babs George deliver powerful performances.
Babs George’s Martha has the savage tenderness of a lioness, lashing out with love and hate at once. Lunning’s George is petulant and defeated early on, evolving into a resigned and sorrowful triumph.
The couple’s combat is filled with peaks and valleys, exploding erratically instead of building to a final meltdown. By the third act (there are two intermissions in this three-hour saga), the energy wanes, and the finale is less climactic than the set-up of the second act.
As Nick, St. Edward’s senior Kel Sanders manages to be smarmy without being snide, which leaves the ambitious young professor insufficiently angry, arrogant, or alpha. Without the clarity of these motives, we spend the play wondering why he remains through all the abuse. The tension dissolves, and instead of struggling, Nick simply sinks into his role as houseboy.
Meredith Montgomery has some lovely moments as Honey, with all the bright-eyed bewilderment the role demands. Yet Honey isn’t as vapid as everyone assumes, and Montgomery doesn’t give the character enough credit.
In such an intimate play, setting students against Equity actors has its drawbacks. It calls attention to the disparity in experience, overshadowing nascent talents. But in this play, it almost makes sense. The young couple is no match for the experienced sparring partners.
The production is solid, however, and worth seeing. Jen J. Madison’s costumes and Leilah Stewart’s set are beautifully complementary, effectively capturing the world of these stifled 1960s characters. The use of the space is excellent, and the spectacle of verbal violence will leave you wondering what it really means to love and be loved. ‘Who’s Afraid of Virigina Woolf?’ continues 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17-20, 2 p.m. Nov. 21.Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward’s University, 3001 S. Congress Ave. $12-$18. 448-8484.
Cate Blouke is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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