Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? — Page 2

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I'm always baffled by these things. George in Virginia Woolfis one of the greatest stage roles ever written for a male actor. What TV gig could possibly make him back out of playing it on Broadway? I mean, I know...MONEY...but seriously..."

I'm inclined to believe it is indeed a scheduling conflict, but they also could have done a reading/workshop and realized Izzard isn't the right fit. (Why they announced it so early is another matter...)

Everett means nothing at the box office, and we already know Laurie Metcalf means very little at the box office. There are so many guys who could play George, but Mantello/Rudin must have a specific idea for the character.

Social media isn't a perfect barometer, but Eddie Izzard has 4.5 million Twitter followers (more than Bette Midler and Bryan Cranston combined).

Updated On: 9/11/19 at 11:58 AM

I imagine they are going for a queer-themed production of this show, between the casting and the artwork. It seems very pointed. Not to imply that Izzard or Everett aren't good enough for it, but it does seem like their is a very specific vision for this production/the dynamic of George and Martha.

Stephen75 said: "I imagine they are going for a queer-themed production of this show, between the casting and the artwork. It seems very pointed. Not to imply that Izzard or Everett aren't good enough for it, but it does seem like their is a very specific vision for this production/the dynamic of George and Martha."

I agree in the casting of Izzard, Everrett and Tovey, but isn't there a bigger gay/queer name to play George. Cough*Nathan Lane* Cough Cough.... Or Dennis O'Hare, David Hyde Pierce, or even Joe Mantello himself. Honestly at this point, I'm more instrested in seeing Tovey then I am Everett, which is an issue.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "I'm always baffled by these things. George inVirginia Woolfis one of the greatest stage roles ever written for a male actor. What TV gig could possibly make him back out of playing it on Broadway? I mean, I know...MONEY...but seriously..."

Where did you read that it was a TV gig that's the scheduling conflict?


I'm a little bummed, to be honest. I was really looking forward to seeing Izzard, who I love as a comedian. I can practically hear Metcalf's performance in my head now, but wasn't quite sure what Izzard would bring to George.

The "queerness" of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, as far as I know, has always just been the wishful thinking of others, and Albee himself (if I remember correctly) refuted any ideas that George and Martha are stand-ins for a gay male couple. It was a tad unusual to have queer actors cast as both George and Nick, but both are (were) good fits for the parts and I imagine it was mostly a coincidence. I will say from experience though that many gay male directors do seem to prefer to work with other gay men - show business, like every other business, is built on relationships, and people generally prefer to surround themselves with people they identify with. Someone should do a statistical study, but it seems that in most businesses, theatre-related or not, the people who do the hiring tend to lean towards hiring someone of their "group," especially if it is a minority group.

That said, I doubt Rupert Everett was cast because he is gay. They just needed a famous film actor that was willing to sacrifice TV/film money to do a play on Broadway, and that was appropriate for the part. Rupert Everett seems like a good choice for George and will do fine I'm sure. Besides, if the Albee estate goes nuts whenever a theatre company tries to do a POC Virginia Woolf, I seriously doubt they will allow queer-themed Virginia Woolf. How would you do that anyway without changing the script?

givesmevoice said: "I'm a little bummed, to be honest. I was really looking forward to seeing Izzard, who I love as a comedian. I can practically hear Metcalf's performance in my head now, but wasn't quite sure what Izzard would bring to George."



I saw Eddie's show a few weeks back here in Southern California (he looks incredibly fit, by the by). I was aware that he was scheduled to do "Woolf," but I don't think he mentioned it that evening. However, recently I watched Everett's movie "The Happy Prince" (as Oscar Wilde in his final days), and he has really come into his own as an actor. I think he will do splendid justice to the role of George.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "The "queerness" of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, as far as I know, has always just been the wishful thinking of others, and Albee himself (if I remember correctly) refuted any ideas that George and Martha are stand-ins for a gay male couple. It was a tad unusual to have queer actors cast as both George and Nick, but both are (were) good fits for the parts and I imagine it was mostly a coincidence. I will say from experience though that many gay male directors do seem to prefer to work with other gay men - show business, like every other business, is built on relationships, and people generally prefer to surround themselves with people they identify with. Someone should do a statistical study, but it seems that in most businesses, theatre-related or not, the people who do the hiring tend to lean towards hiring someone of their "group," especially if it is a minority group.

Besides, if the Albee estate goes nuts whenever a theatre company tries to do a POCVirginia Woolf,I seriously doubt they will allow queer-themedVirginia Woolf.How would you do that anyway without changing the script?"

After the dust settled from that controversy, it turned out that the estate (and Albee, when living) objected to Nick being a POC and the other three being white. There have been authorized productions with POC in other roles.

carnzee -

That is interesting. I know that when he was alive, he allowed one or two African American actresses to play Martha in professional productions, but was otherwise very strict about it.

We talked about this in another thread several months ago, but the play is so very much about "white people problems" that doing it with POC seems silly. Having George wear a dress onstage though...this whole Eddie Izzard thing has really got me thinking...I'm going to crack this play open and make people see it a way they've never seen it before!!!....Actually, never mind, I'll just do a different play