Center Stage's Virginia Woolf goes long but is rewarding
Ethan McSweeny's new production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which premiered last Wednesday at Center Stage Theater, faithfully adapts Edward Albee's wrenching classic back to the stage. The skill of its principal cast, direction and superb set design make for a powerful show, which is a look into conjugal blitzkrieg that plays its audience between the comic and tragic.
Martha (Deborah Hedwall) and George (Andrew Weems) have just returned from one of the numberless faculty soirees hosted by Martha's father. A sagging 50ish pair, they are both bitterly disappointed with the run of their lives. George disgusts his wife with his lack of career advancement and submission to her father; Martha, meanwhile, could too kindly be called a shrew, a piercing lush who spares no insult for George.
Together, they make every second a feud and turn drinks with Nick (Erik Heger) and Honey (Leah Curney) into a ritual bloodletting between Man and Wife. George and Martha submit themselves and their guests to a variety of games like "Humiliate the Host" and "Hump the Hostess," all of which appear eerily routine to them. The festivities dissolve and the insults get deeper, until the two resolve to make this particular night the one that counts. "I'm going to make you sorry you ever let yourself down," Martha says, after the two agree to shift the contest to "Total War."
The plot, a notorious downward spiral, is hard to discuss without giving much away. However, the strength of the play is in its performances, especially those of George and Martha, and it is here that this production succeeds most. Deborah Hedwall manages Martha's leaps and howls without signs of exhaustion; between lewd hip thrusts and dances, the role is almost entirely shouting, cursing and crying. Her energy parries exceptionally well with George's, and Andrew Weems deserves the highest credit for it.
While the part of Martha was more rigidly scripted by Albee, George allows for more invention, with possible interpretations ranging between wrath, despair and playful brutality. Andrew Weems opts for the more joshing attitude and takes the night of "Fun and Games" to heart, while still conveying the scars underlying their marriage and Martha's insults. The dynamic between Weems and Hedwall is the play's best spectacle; the two eagerly go for the throat and shout millimeters away from each other's faces, so much that from a third row seat one can literally see torpedoes of spit flying.
Martha (Deborah Hedwall) and George (Andrew Weems) have just returned from one of the numberless faculty soirees hosted by Martha's father. A sagging 50ish pair, they are both bitterly disappointed with the run of their lives. George disgusts his wife with his lack of career advancement and submission to her father; Martha, meanwhile, could too kindly be called a shrew, a piercing lush who spares no insult for George.
Together, they make every second a feud and turn drinks with Nick (Erik Heger) and Honey (Leah Curney) into a ritual bloodletting between Man and Wife. George and Martha submit themselves and their guests to a variety of games like "Humiliate the Host" and "Hump the Hostess," all of which appear eerily routine to them. The festivities dissolve and the insults get deeper, until the two resolve to make this particular night the one that counts. "I'm going to make you sorry you ever let yourself down," Martha says, after the two agree to shift the contest to "Total War."
The plot, a notorious downward spiral, is hard to discuss without giving much away. However, the strength of the play is in its performances, especially those of George and Martha, and it is here that this production succeeds most. Deborah Hedwall manages Martha's leaps and howls without signs of exhaustion; between lewd hip thrusts and dances, the role is almost entirely shouting, cursing and crying. Her energy parries exceptionally well with George's, and Andrew Weems deserves the highest credit for it.
While the part of Martha was more rigidly scripted by Albee, George allows for more invention, with possible interpretations ranging between wrath, despair and playful brutality. Andrew Weems opts for the more joshing attitude and takes the night of "Fun and Games" to heart, while still conveying the scars underlying their marriage and Martha's insults. The dynamic between Weems and Hedwall is the play's best spectacle; the two eagerly go for the throat and shout millimeters away from each other's faces, so much that from a third row seat one can literally see torpedoes of spit flying.
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