A marathon night of drink, debauchery and duplicity develops after Martha and her husband George invite unsuspecting young couple, Nick and Honey, round for a nightcap. Drink flows, spiked with vicious humour, acerbic wit and tempestuous verbal sparring. However, as night turns to morning, searing secrets are exposed. Read more …
Putting the ‘fun’ into dysfunctional, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? wryly exposes the dark attraction in relationships and the bitterest ties that bind us all.
As the quartet literally drown their sorrows, this makes for a bruising and relentless ride, and it is only the heightened sense of mayhem that both sustains things, and stops them from falling apart. By the end, all passion may be spent, but the pain in everyone's eyes looks set to fire up another day.
A production that plays no tricks, but offers a rich feast of world-class drama.
The quality in the writing is obvious, as the voice of all four characters feels authentic and genuine. The performances from the talented cast is also spot on, as the audience is drawn into the turbulent drama.
With two intervals, it is true that this play is almost as exhausting as attending after-party drinks with your boss’s family, yet these hosts entice you with their liquor soaked games and irrational ideals.
An absolute tour-de-force to watch and of course, and even bigger tour-de-force to perform!
Despite the epic nature of the piece, Michael Emans’ tight direction ensures the action rattles along with never a dull moment.
At around three and a half hours long Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf is not for the faint hearted but this impressive production of a classic is well worth the emotional trauma.
The strength of the script and individual moments still make this a production worth seeing, but, played too much for laughs, the history of the relationship only comes across in moments, and isn’t always underpinning the lighter scenes.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a misunderstood masterpiece.
On Tour, from Wednesday May 3, 2017, until Saturday June 3, 2017. http://www.rapturetheatre.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=itemlist&layout=user&id=58&task=user&Itemid=547.
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