Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has been brought to life by zippysaid productions in a compelling new production at the Red Sandcastle Theatre. The show, running until April 28, 2024 features a blend of seasoned and emerging talent.
Set in a college town in 1962, the iconic play, a staple of the American classics, unfolds over one tumultuous evening in the home of George and Martha, a middle-aged couple whose volatile and violent marriage is teetering on the edge of implosion. After returning home from a university faculty party in the wee hours of the morning, they are joined by a younger couple, Nick, a new professor and his wife, Honey for what turns into a booze-filled night of psychological cat-and-mouse-play. One by one, the illusions that each character holds dear are exposed and shredded.
A brassy, boozey Deborah Shaw delivers a powerhouse performance as Martha, embodying the character’s complex blend of ferocity and vulnerability. David Agro, who plays husband George and directs the piece, skillfully navigates the delicate balance of weariness and cunning essential to his role. Newcomers Josh Palmer and Chloe Matamoros, playing Nick and Honey respectively, add a fresh energy in performances that hold their own against their more experienced co-stars in their ravening roles. Palmer is affecting in portraying Nick’s mercurial mix of ambition and underlying insecurity, while Matamoros gives Honey a hauntingly fragile presence that resonates after the curtain falls.
Agro’s direction is both measured and daring. He maintains the play’s intense pace, while allowing its moments of dark humour to sparkle, preventing the dramatic tension from overwhelming the audience. And as the drinks flow and the level of cruelty mounts, the intimate setting of the Red Sandcastle Theatre turns claustrophobic, in an elegant reflection of the play’s confrontational style. We feel like accidental interlopers trapped with these characters’ secrets, confessions and escalating volatility. Until the house lights release us, we must watch . . . with mounting horror. We cannot extricate ourselves.
Who’s afraid of theatre that challenges, provokes and gets right in your face – while exploring the depths of human emotion, marital dysfunction and the complexities of personal relationships?
If you aren’t, then this is an eminently worthy production for you.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? continues at the Red Sandcastle Theatre until April 28, 2024. Click here to reserve tickets.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2024
