Virginia Woolf First Preview — Page 3

I saw this last weekend- I can not say enough how much I loved this production- and I was in the camp who thought this was much too soon for a revival. It just goes to show once again that if there is a fresh take and performance of classic material (I happen to believe this is one of the greatest American plays ever written) it really can never be too soon.

Letts' George is truly a revelation, and Morton's Martha has something about her I have never before seen- she isn't the complete monster that she can be played to be, nor is he without heart- and in that is this productions true killer combo.

I think what I loved about this production more than anything is how it unites the audience- at one point I even noticed people taken collective deep breaths at the same time- it seemed as if any minute the action could turn on all of us and we were all sitting there with our eyes peeled.

I just can't say enough how well executed this production is- from start to finish- go see it!

Exactly. This production lands that final punch and leaves the audience winded from it, but you still see a glimmer of hope for the couple. Because you can see that, on some twisted level, Martha and George still love each other.

Letts and Morton establish that in a few of their interactions throughout the play, but particularly in that first scene. It's so nice to see a production that is able to look at a classic like this from a new perspective, without draining the meaning and purpose out of it all.

This might be a dumb question but is the character's name actually Honey or is it just a term of endearment? I don't recall her being referred to by her name by George or Martha.

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I saw this last night and was very very impressed -- an impeccable production all the way. I can't say enough great stuff about the cast, especially Amy Morton and Tracy Letts. My Lord what those two accomplish, never once descending into shrieking cartoonishness -- you can really see that they love each other as much as they hate each other. Morton's sad little "I don't bray" was a marvelous insight into Martha, and the tenderness in that final exchange really got me. Pam McKinnon's direction is a real revelation here.

I want to see it again. Very much. I mean, come on. This is what we go to the theater for.

It feels like Albee has made more revisions to the play. I don't remember George saying he has a Ph.D. before, and the exorcism seems to go on for a lot longer; Martha's monologues about her son feel extended. Anyone confirm? I couldn't find my copy of the play last night -- my home feels as book-strewn as the set at the Booth.

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And can we just, for a moment, discuss the single line that I think exemplifies this production (or, at least, Morton's brilliant Martha). When she say, 'I am the earth mother, and you are all flops' (that might be paraphrasing a bit), it was filled with such a delicious irony...but also truth. It's an amazing bit of acting magic. How can one woman in one line recognize her ridiculousness and still insist that she is the truth-teller?? Of course, it turns out that she's the most deluded of them all, and her exorcism becomes that much more brutal.

I, too, need to go back.

I saw it tonight via rush, and I liked it okay. Not knowing the material before I went into it, I wasn't sure what to expect, and like most people have said, it's a lot to take in. I think I need to read it to fully grasp the story, but it was interesting. The only time it really dragged for me was near the end. I just thought the "big reveal" so was so solemn and understated that it made me bored. I mean, we all knew what the big reveal was, so it made that moment less exciting anyway.

All the performances were great and the direction pretty great. There were a few times where I thought the staging was semi-awkward, but mostly I was pretty into it. However, I didn't leave thinking "this should be on Broadway." I'm not sure why it transfered, but hats off to them. The theater seemed pretty full tonight.