‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ is as devastating as ever in Shakespeare Theatre of NJ production

AVERY BRUNKUS

From left, Antoinette LaVecchia, Andrew Borba, Abby Burris and Michael Underhill co-star in The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

What stays with you the most after seeing Edward Albee’s classic 1962 play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” — either onstage or in its great 1966 film version (co-starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as warring spouses George and Martha) — is the emotional turmoil that Albee stirs up. But seeing The Shakespeare Theatre’s of New Jersey’s production of it last week — it will continue there through Sept. 27 — I was reminded about how funny it is, as George and Martha exchange brutal and often clever insults with each other throughout the course of one remarkably sordid, drunken night.

“If you existed, I’d divorce you,” Martha sneers at the mild-mannered George, at one point.

When George accuses Martha of braying, she defends herself by braying “I don’t bray.” Later, George tells her, “In my mind, you are buried in cement right up to your neck. No, up to your nose. It’s much quieter.”

AVERY BRUNKUS

Antoinette LaVecchia in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

While I wouldn’t go so far as to call any version of this play “fun,” there is a certain thrill in watching George and Martha spin out of control, with another, younger couple, Nick and Honey, looking on in disbelief, and getting close enough to the action to get hit with some shrapnel. And the STNJ production, directed by Nisi Sturgis, delivers every bitter joke and tragic turn with maximum impact. It is hard to imagine anyone seeing this production and not immediately understanding why this play is considered such a landmark of American theater.

The setting (scenic design is by Sarah Beth Hall) is George and Martha’s handsome but somewhat messy home in the fictional New England college town of New Carthage. (Even that is a sharp joke; ancient Carthage, in North Africa, is known today mainly for having been destroyed by the Romans.) A large piece of turbulent modern art takes up much of the back wall. (see photo above) George jokes that it is “a pictorial representation of the order of Martha’s mind.”

It is 2 a.m. when the play begins. George (played by Andrew Borba), a professor of history, and Martha (Antoinette LaVecchia), the daughter of the university’s president, have arrived back home after a big party at Martha’s father’s house. They are having a nightcap when Martha tells George that she has invited Nick (Michael Underhill) — the university’s new biology professor (though Martha keeps insisting, incorrectly, that he is in the math department) — and Nick’s wife Honey (Abby Burris), to join them.

George isn’t too happy about that, but his life seems to be made up of endless accommodations to Martha’s strong will, so what can he do? (He asserts himself mainly with his acerbic cracks, which Martha shrugs off.)

AVERY BRUNKUS

Andrew Borba, left, and Michael Underhill in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

Anyway, Nick and Honey arrive. And as the late-night hours turn to early morning of the next day — and drinks keep on being poured — everything gets more chaotic. There is lots of bad behavior, some revelations about George and Martha’s secrets, and some indications that Nick and Honey’s relationship, though healthier looking on the surface, may mirror George and Martha’s, in some ways.

George may be just a mediocre history professor. (Martha’s disappointment with him has a lot to do with the fact that he is only an associate professor, whereas she expected him to be running the department, if not the entire university, by now.) But George understands perfectly well that history will always repeat itself.

Borba plays George with a mischievous glint in his eyes that makes it clear that there is a sadistic streak underneath his milquetoast exterior. LaVecchia and Burris are more flamboyantly entertaining as the crude, rude Martha and the sweet, young Honey, who, we discover quickly, likes to drink, and can’t hold her liquor. (Not a good combination.) The dark underbelly of Nick, who is played by Underhill with an air of unctuous confidence, takes a little longer to surface, but Albee makes sure to explore that, as well.

This is a long play; with three acts and two intermissions, it lasted for more than three hours. And while I would argue that Albee could have shortened some of Martha’s Act 3 soliloquies, the complexities of the characters — and the unlikely poetry that Albee finds in their reflections — justifies its length.

I loved, for instance, how Albee had Martha recognize that George is “good to me” but then add, almost immediately, that she reviles him. She describes him as a person “whom I will not forgive for having come to rest — for having seen me and having said, ‘Yes, this will do.’ ” Absolutely devastating.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will present “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” at its F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre at Drew University in Madison, through Sept. 27. Visit shakespearenj.org.

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