"George & Martha: Sad Sad Sad" - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?

This week I had my first encounter with the well-known play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe," and what an encounter it was.  Not sure what to expect, but knowing the show is a classic that I must see, I got last minute tickets to the show after work.  The show was one of the most suspenseful and intense plays I've seen.  Throughout the three-hour play the audience is in a constant state of discomfort as the honest truth of the relationship between the characters is revealed and an anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach telling you something bigger is coming grows and grows as the tension builds.  You can't help but feel emotionally drained at the end of the play.  

Not to say that the play is void of humor, on the contrary, mixed in with the brutal verbal battle and heart ache is a lot of hilarious moments.  The playwright, Edward Albee, has really created something unique by telling the story of a drunken night of marital discord by combining tragedy, comedy and creepy uneasiness.

To me strong emotions are the backbone of any good piece of theater and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe" definitely provides more than enough.

Tracy Letts as George, Amy Morton as Martha and Madison Dirks as Nick

Tracy Letts, as the lead male role George is completely amazing.  Mr. Letts' expertise at alternating between vicious, loud and aggressive to an old husband who seems to have endless funny one liners to being a battered victim to being a calm and in control mental manipulator is mesmerizing to watch.  George is the leader of the tension you feel throughout the play and it is he who at the end seems to have been the master of the night all along.

Amy Morton, as the lead female role Martha gives a talented and intriguing performance as well.  Throughout the play you can't decide if she is a bitch that you should hate or a wounded woman that you should feel sorry for.  Ms. Morton does a great job at subtly revealing her internal grief from a life she wanted but never had amid her merciless  and aggressive outbursts.

In the midst of all of the attacks and pain there is a weird feeling of a dependent and deep love that despite everything thrives between George and Martha.

Carrie Coon as Honey

Madison Dirks as Nick and Carrie Coon as Honey round out the strong cast of the show as the audience of George and Martha's battle.  Each is less memorable than Letts or Morton but still gives a strong performance as their more subdued characters.  I particularly loved Coon's portrayal of the drunken Honey, especially her interpretive dance!

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe" was without a doubt money well spent.  I now see why it is so popular and think it is a show all theater lovers should try to see at least once.  The revival by Steppenwolf Theatre Company now playing at the Booth Theater on West 45th street is scheduled to close on February 24.  The theater was almost packed when I saw it on a Thursday so I would try to get tickets sooner rather than later if you want to catch it before it closes.

If you have a current student ID the show has student rush tickets available for $37 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

I'm back

I know it's been a while since I've updated this blog.  The last few months have been very busy to say the least.  To give a little update I'm now a Hoboken resident.  I know I know... ewww New Jersey.  But it's clean, has a lot to do and is only a 15 minute Path ride from the city so I'm enjoying myself.  That is it was only a 15 minute Path ride from the city, Sandy did a good job of destroying the Hoboken station and shutting it down for the last month or so but hopefully it will be up and running again soon!

Anyway, I'm back and ready to dedicate time to make this blog a valuable and fun place for people to come for Broadway information, show reviews (from me of course), updates on openings/closings and advice for cheap tickets and discounts.

Please feel free to leave comments along the way on any of my posts, let me know if there is a certain topic you want to hear about, if you agree/disagree with my reviews or if you just have a random comment.  I want this blog to be fun.  I know there is no shortage of Broadway show reviews from all of the major newspapers so I want this to be a different perspective.  Broadway from the view of a 24 year old theater lover, on a budget, trying to make it in the city.