Move over, Virginia. There’s a new wolf in town. Molly Smith and the gang at Arena Stage have imported Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” home to their newly revitalized theater complex. There you’ll find a magnificent beast that howls in the night. It’s a titillating project, to be sure, with Pam MacKinnon at the helm and playwright-actor Tracy Letts taking on the sticky, syrupy role of George. Oh sure, the rest of the production is a fine and steady affair, with Todd Rosenthal’s cozy set rekindling the warmth of a professorial New England parlor, and a trio of equally adept actors on stage.
| Onstage |
| ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ |
| Where: Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW |
| When: Through April 10 |
| Info: $15 to $90; 202-488-3300; arenastage.org |
But this is Letts’ finest hour.
Albee’s notoriously vulgar verbal fireworks still take center stage, but what unfolds over the span of three acts (and two intermissions) isn’t always a low-down showdown from Martha (re-enacted here by the tall and lithe Amy Morton) — it’s more of a dirty dogfight, with George delivering some of the most ferocious blows.
In case you somehow missed the 1966 film version, “Woolf” still covers the deterioration of George and Martha, a middle-aged couple whose sense of social decorum devolves into a late night of cunning games and cruel taunts. Theirs is a most convoluted relationship, two seedless intellectuals haranguing each other over past, present, even future affronts — and in front of their invited company nonetheless, a pair of young lovebirds.
Yes, Letts’ George is the still the target of Martha’s bruising jabs, the docent husband who withstands blows to his ego while maintaining a modicum of composure, but this is an actor who clearly understands Albee’s abstruse use and abuse of language, someone who delights in the subtle cadence of Albee’s dialogue. You can practically see his George making a mental inventory of insults, his internal engines searching for vengeance. When he glibly tells Martha to “vanish,” she almost wants to comply.
The juiciest bits of Albee’s infamous threats become morose, dark comedy in Letts’ hands, and he is unmatched by Morton’s cold characterization of Martha. She is a corrosive patrician of a figure as the daughter of the college president, but you also get the feeling that she’s nothing more than all-bark. While Madison Dirks is a serviceably smug Nick, Carrie Coon presents the most comprehensive interpretation of his Honey you’ll likely ever find.
Presented as part of the 30-production strong, “Virginia Woolf” is the latest installment of the two-month-long, citywide Edward Albee Festival.
Under MacKinnon’s crisp direction and with Letts’ impeccable, nearly definitive George, this is one “Woolf” that really stands out from the pack.
