Review: Stray Dog’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Is Riveting, Electrifying

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John Lamb

Stephen Henley and Mara Bollini in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Stray Dog Theatre.

Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is an indisputably powerful American drama with a relentless edge. A drunken tragedy of disappointment and abuse, the play resonates with as much force today as when it was first penned. The beautifully written show teems with capricious animosity and dark emotions. Stray Dog Theatre’s masterfully unfolding nightmare captures every moment and lays them bare on the stage.

George and Martha have been married for more than 20 years and, unfortunately, only liquor, anger and gamesmanship can create a spark between them anymore. He’s a long-suffering adjunct professor; she’s the unfulfilled daughter of the university president. They each had more ambition when they married, but that hope drowned in a bottle of booze years ago. After another tedious party at her father’s house, Martha invites the handsome new biology professor Nick and his more reserved wife Honey over for a nightcap with her and George. The late night spirals downward with George and Martha striking and recoiling to strike again, over and over, until everyone is hurt.

The intense show requires a commitment to the rhythm of vitriol Albee so effortlessly spins. If a character manages to successfully parry away from a pointed jab, a well-placed verbal barb sneaks up and stings. While George and Martha have plenty of secrets to spill, Nick and Honey reveal flaws and ugly bits of their own. These people are not outright villains, but there’s an undeniable mean streak soaked in unforgiving sorrow in George and Martha that, the evening suggests, may provide a glimpse to Nick and Honey’s future. 

Mara Bollini sinks her teeth and the rest of her being into Martha, delivering a stunning, somewhat unhinged performance that commands attention. She’s bitter, playful, angry and terribly desperate for affection all at once. Stephen Peirick finds perverse delight in Martha’s much-abused underachieving husband George. He shows his capability to dish out just as much abuse as he’s given, if with a more insidious approach. Stephen Henley’s Nick assesses the situation quickly. As soon as he realizes there’s no easy escape, he jumps into the fray with an eye to his benefit. Claire Wenzel’s Honey isn’t as quick to catch on, but when the night turns for the worse, she proves she’s not the pushover she’s assumed to be. 

While not subtle, Albee’s script offers room for interpretation that director Gary F. Bell fills with innuendo and small, revealing moments that keep the show bristling with a constant tension. A significant pause as George fails to light Martha’s cigarette, a subtle refilling of a drink, a slight move to entrap a guest and numerous other tells add weight and significance to an otherwise typical drunken night with George and Martha.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? gets a riveting and compelling production by Stray Dog Theatre that hits all the right, if often dark and uncomfortable, notes. Each of the three acts builds with dramatic intensity until there’s no secrets lurking in the dark and nothing left to bare.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is open at Stray Dog Theatre (2336 Tennessee Avenue, 314-865-1995, straydogtheatre.org) through Saturday, February 25. Shows vary by day, and tickets are $25 to $30.