‘Virginia Woolf’ expertly exposes fear of truth

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” a play by Edward Albee, came to life this weekend with its premiere performance at the John Waldron Arts Center. Directed by Russell McGee, this play serves as the second production for McGee’s recently established Starrynight Productions.\nIn this three-act play, the audience is front and center for the complex and tumultuous unfolding of married couple George and Martha’s relationship, artfully portrayed by Gerard W. Pauwels and Gail Bray. After a night of drinking and socializing at a party for college faculty, George and Martha come home to their quiet New England home for anything but a relaxing evening – or rather, early morning.\nThrown into the mix are the unsuspecting young couple Nick and Honey, played by Michael Carey and Sarah Ruggles. Martha invites the couple, who are new to town, over after the party in what seems like a welcoming gesture, yet they soon become the captive audience of George and Martha’s twisted relationship. \nThe alcohol is flowing, and nightcap after nightcap reveal just how cruel two people can be toward each other even when they love one another. In a particularly gripping scene, Martha goes on and on about George’s inadequacies as a professor, a man and a husband, resulting in George smashing an empty liquor bottle in frustration, glass flying all over the living room set. \nWhile George and Martha tear each other apart, Nick and Honey become pawns in the game, foil characters on which George and Martha cast their problems. The atmosphere is filled with lies, and the guests can’t tell truth from illusion in George and Martha’s games. \nThroughout the night’s events, Nick and Honey realize they don’t want to turn out like George and Martha in 20 years. The night ends in the sobering realization that George and Martha are both unhappy and fearful at heart but, through it all, love each other. We see throughout the performance that George and Martha are perfect for each other and they know how to play each other’s games.\nDuring the play, Martha sings a song that goes: “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf ...” She finds her performance funny, and for a while her guests laugh along. Yet fearing Virginia Woolf means fearing a life free from illusion, a life wholly lived in truth. Martha might be making light of her inner turmoil, yet we come to see that George and Martha are afraid of the truth.\nThis three-hour play, with two intermissions, is emotionally enthralling and deals with some real issues, so be prepared for a whirlwind performance. The actors did an exquisite job at getting to the heart of the characters. The audience feels for the characters and can relate to them throughout the performance. It was certainly a moving and fantastic production, full of raw emotion and energy. The set was realistic and obviously carefully laid out. It felt as if the audience was actually sitting in someone’s living room as the events played out.\nAudience members enjoyed the performance, too. Steve Bray, husband of Gail Bray, who played Martha, loved the performance. \n“I thought it was great,” Bray said.\nBryan Fonseca, producing director at Indianapolis’ Phoenix Theatre, thought the show was very powerful. \n“(It was) a cast that could really match the power of the writing,” Fonseca said.