Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a play that follows Martha and George over the course of one night. After attending a faculty meeting at the university George works at, they invite a couple who are new in town back to theirs for more alcoholic endeavors. As the night and games unravel, so do the two relationships.
Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill lead the 4 piece company as Martha and George. They have brilliant chemistry together and bounce off each other exceptionally well. But this is very much Staunton’s show. Even when she wasn’t speaking, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. There’s fantastic support from Luke Treadaway & Imogen Poots as Nick & Honey, but again it’s very much Staunton’s show.
I really enjoyed the direction in this play. James MacDonald frequently positions the couples opposite each other, as if the younger couple are looking at their future. It’s a well written play but for a Friday night after a really hard day, it’s not the most ideal play to watch. As it goes on and becomes packed with more & more emotional games, it feels quite dragged out. With a running time of 3 hours (including 1 intermission and a 5 minute pause), it’s worth sitting through for Staunton’s performance.
For more information you can visit http://whosafraidofvirginiawoolf.co.uk/
Until next time.
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Hayley Sprout 