Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Albee dares to question the illusion of the “all-american” family in his play, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” directed by Craig Willis, opens at 8 p.m. today in the Arena Theatre. Performances will continue May 9 through 11 and 16 through 18.
“Albee wrote a play that explains the myth of the American family and myths of marital happiness and fidelity,” Willis said.
The story, made famous by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the movie of the same name, explores the dysfunctional relationships of two couples — the older couple, George and Martha, and the younger couple, Nick and Honey.
George, a senior faculty member at a fictional New England college, and his wife, Martha, invite Nick and Honey to their house for an after-party nightcap. Initially, Nick, who is a new professor at the college, jumps at the chance to climb the social ladder. But during the course of an evening of excessive drinking, the lies and illusions that have held the two couples’ marriages together crumble under the light of truth.
“George is a role you wait a whole lifetime to play,” said senior Rowan Morrison, who will step into the part. “I jumped at the chance to audition for it.”
George is a challenging role, because he is on stage for two and a half of the play’s three hours, Willis said.
Morrison admitted it was difficult memorizing such large chunks of lines and blocking.
“It was an enormous amount of pressure just trying to keep it clear in my head,” he said, but once the role was in his head, it was there to stay.
Morrison said acting drunk the whole time helps keep the cast relaxed in their roles.
“It takes a lot of the pressure off and allows for more freedom,” he said.
He said there is less worry over tripping over a prop, because if that happens, it simply adds to the portrayal of the character’s drunkenness.
Graduate student Heather Persinger plays Martha, who also has a large role in the play. She said being onstage for such a long period of time helped her develop more consistency in the character.
“It’s so fun to play a glamorous part,” Persinger said. She said she enjoyed playing Martha because, despite being middle-aged, the character is still playful and immature in many ways.
Persinger said audiences will be able to relate to the characters because the characters all “have doubts about themselves, and they respond by hurting others. Many people respond that way.”
Junior Darren Utt, who plays Nick, said the play explores the games within relationships, and although the audience may say they would never act like Martha or George, they really do.
Utt said the audience members may not recognize these behaviors within themselves, but they will probably recognize the behaviors in someone they know.
Albee “doesn’t directly point the finger at you,” he said.
Willis made a comparison between the era when “Woolf” originally debuted and today. He said that during the 1960s, America was “riding a wave of optimism,” experiencing an economic upswing and a growing idealism that was very similar to the state of the nation in 2000. Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, signaling the end of this “Camelot” era.
“We’re kind of in a similar place,” Willis said. He said the Sept. 11 attacks and the political situation in the Middle East has signaled a return to reality.
“Conservatives today would like to solve problems by returning to family values,” he said.
Some people think “restoring family values would solve all our problems.”
He said Albee’s play challenges the very existence of family values.
‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ opens at 8 p.m. today in the Arena Theatre located in 104 Villard. Performances will continue May 9th through 11th and 16th through 18th. Curtain time for all performances is at 8 p.m., and late seating is not allowed. Tickets are $6 for general admission, $5 for University faculty and staff members and $4 for University students. Thursday night performances are further discounted to $3 for University students. Tickets are available at the EMU Ticket Office, the Hult Center and on performance days at the University Theatre Box Office. Free parking is available in the University parking lot at the corner of East 11th Avenue and Kincaid Street.