
Anyone who has drunk the night away, or
invested time in petty bickering with a fading loved one, will empathize with
Albee’s disgruntled and sadistic couple. Caught up in drunken games of truth
and illusion, they tear at the fabric of each other’s personas as they drag
themselves into the dirt.
George is an aging minor academic in the
history department of New Carthage University. His wife Martha is the daughter
of the university’s president and is resentful of George’s failure to climb his
career ladder. After a faculty drinking party Martha invites handsome new
biology teacher Nick and his ditsy weak-stomached wife Honey over to their
house for a night of endless beverages and perplexing games.
There are unsettling parallels between the
lives of Martha and George and Nick and Honey. Noble subtly ekes out these
comparisons to create a dynamic tension between the four characters. The
disintegrating and hostile relationship between Nick and George is particularly
arresting, with Tim Piggott-Smith and Nathan Wiley developing a frosty dynamism
that ignites the segments when Martha is absent from the stage.

This is an exceptional production. Albee’s
masterpiece is fascinating to watch, and it is a treat to see such high caliber
actors sinking their teeth in the play’s juicy roles. With such a fine
ensemble, the only hope now is that the production has more longevity beyond
its two and a half week run in Bath. London transfer please!
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