Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The opening night of this production preceded the sad news of Elizabeth Taylor’s death the following morning. Taylor, 79, epitomised the role of Martha, in the 1966 classic film alongside Richard Burton.
Edward Albees most famous play has seen the stage in many incarnations. This performance is a collaborative effort from Sheffield Theatres and the Northern Stage. Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf is a dark comic masterpiece in play writing, centring around an older warring couple, who over the course of one night use their young naïve house guests to play a game of psychological cat and mouse against each other.
Artistic directors Daniel Evans and Erica Whyman have constructed an impressive show, the stage centred in the middle of the audience serves well in providing a voyeuristic element, perfectly appropriate as over three hours, the audience is drawn into the world of the two drunken couples as their marriages untangle and tangle with all their complexities and intricacies revealed.
It was difficult to decide whose performance stood out the most. The script plays out the most enjoyable scenes to the males, but due to the crux of the play being marital drama, being a male reviewer perhaps I’m more inclined to take this stance. The scenes which included Arthur played by Jasper Britton were impressive, although it is hard to match the delivery of Burton, Britton does an excellent job and is for me by far the most intriguing character with the best lines, played well by a confident performance. Equally, John Hopkins plays Nick to perfection, his understated performance draws out Nicks’ ambition as a young career driven man with his own marital problems.
Lorna Beckett who played Honey was required to give much more of a physical performance, steadily tipsier throughout its Honey who provides light comic relief when George and Martha at their wits end. Martha, although the protagonist for most of the plays main scenes is for me a hard character to like. Martha’s speeches are often shrill and malicious in their delivery, but nonetheless, Sian Thomas, does an admirable job in displaying a woman on the brink. The third scene especially in which the final game is played and Martha’s motives are revealed, shows the diverse range in which Sian Thomas plays the character.
Clocking in at just short of three hours allows time for the play to draw the audience into the world of George and Martha and grow familiar with their games. This is an exceptional performance in all areas, made all the more engaging by the intimate feel of the Crucible theatre.
