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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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A love story wrapped in barbed wire
Who's afraid? George, Keith Thompson, dances with Honey, Janet Bright while Martha, Sue Smith, screams on as the booze and insults flow Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Swan Theatre Amateur Company ***** Edward Albee's
brutal 1962 dissection of a relationship is one of the great plays of
the 20th century.It is vicious, cruel, vindictive and painful yet
beneath it all is a love story. It is not exactly Mills & Boon but all the same
it is still a love story – even, as I have said in the past, if it is
wrapped in barbed wire. George is an assistant history professor at a
small East Coast American university, married to Martha, daughter of the
college President. She sees George as a failure in not having taken over
the history department, nor being in line to take over from her father
to run the college. Their marriage survives by the pair poking verbal
sticks at each other, pushing the boundaries of hurt. Their whole life
has become a manic game. So when a new teacher arrives and is invited back
to George and Martha's for drinks – and lots of them - in the early
hours after a college faculty social evening, we are witnesses to the
invite from Hell. Nick, whose name is never mentioned throughout
the play, and wife Honey find that not only are they caught up in George
and Martha's games but are involved in games of their own whether they
like it, or even know it. Their lives become as exposed as those of George
and Martha who live in a world were truth and fantasy are seemingly
interchangeable. Keith Thompson as George produces a colossus of a
performance which commands the stage. His George has moments of fun,
flashes of anger, touches of anguish and a strange affection for Martha. Sue Smith is a perfect foil as Martha, belittling
George at every opportunity and making no bones about her somewhat loose
morality when it comes to bedding other staff including her blatant
seduction of Nick. She screams, schemes and does all she can to
infuriate George, including talking about their son when she has been
specifically asked not to, and as the booze flows her punches become
bigger and land harder – although it is George, who looks as if he is
losing on points, who finally lands the knock-out blow and we finally
see Marth's vulnerability.
Nick, played beautifully with a naïve
bewilderment by Kit Windows-Yule eventually tries to take on George and
Martha in the games but this is boys against men and he is outclassed
and outplayed at every turn while bimbo wife Honey, played by Janet
Bright, spends her time between throwing up and drinking brandy. Bright manages the difficult task of appearing to
slowly become more and more drunk with real conviction. All too often we
see sober people trying to appear as they think drunks might act – with
Honey you could well believe she was on a real bender as her sense and
inhibitions sank under the brandy. An excellently measured performance. These are four huge parts demanding concentration
and decent American accents and all four came through with flying
colours and – just as important – the accents were consistent. Director Mark Dugmore kept up a fair old pace –
important in a play of approaching three hours – in what is a quite
stunning production. There were a few niggles; when Martha and Nick
are dancing the music from the record player tended to drown out the
dialogue – which was important as George's truth and fantasy were
being questioned - while the record player itself had its lead tucked in
with the deck. We know it wasn't actually playing but at least make it look as
if it is plugged in so we can at least pretend. Minor niggles but worth a mention. The play is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 Mike Nichols film starring Elizabeth Taylor as Martha and Richard Burton as George with George Segal as Nick and Sandy Dennis as Honey but the stage is its real home and this is a production which simply sparkles and deserves to be seen and savoured. Roger Clarke |
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