Drinking Off Marriage’s Hardships

It is amazing what lies and fabrications one invents when faced with the dire reality of life. The Whole Art’s performance of Edward Albee’s play, "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" portrays this gap between fact and illusion through the complicated relationship of George and Martha. This topsy-turvy marriage and the complexity of the show’s characters make for an entertaining and thought-provoking production. Despite varying abilities in performance and a simplistic set, this show provides a deeper insight into the destructive reality of love and marriage.

George (played by Richard Philpot) is an aging history professor at a small college owned by his oppressive father-in-law. Though gifted and articulate, George is tortured by his inability to stand up for himself and excel in his position. He is a greatly elaborate character, teetering on the edge of self-ruin. Philpot delivers this deep intelligence with obvious experience and skill. He seems to know just what to do and exactly when to do it when portraying the much afflicted character of George. Philpot is genuine in every aspect of his performance. He appears weary and run-down as he describes his “fall into the vine of service,” and conversely, wildly passionate as he rants, “I’ve been trying for years to clean up the mess I made.”

It may also be the rather poor performances of the other characters that set off Philpot’s expert portrayal of George. Trevor Maher, playing Nick, a new professor at the college, is especially lacking in zeal. Many of his lines seem out of place; they are delivered without enthusiasm and are often inappropriately emphasized. Maher’s movements and speech are stiff and unnatural, exaggerating his T’s and S’s as if warming up to perform an opera. It is not until later in the play, when the characters have consumed a sizable amount of liquor that his performance becomes slightly captivating.

As well as helping the characters to let loose and open up to the audience, the consumption of alcohol plays a prominent role in both the actors’ performances and the plot. The liquor cabinet seems to become the central point in the set and even the entire play. Indeed, as the characters become more and more drunk, the show itself becomes more and more interesting. As the axis of the play, the characters’ drinking comes to determine the pace of the plot. It is easy to say that without this accelerating affect of alcohol, the production would turn into a sober bore.

With this seeming overdependence on alcohol, it becomes more apparent how truly tormented the lives of the show’s characters are. They turn to liquor and even illusion in their attempts to escape from reality. While some of the performances lack effective emotion, the intricate study of relationships in "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" exposes a profound look at life and the falsehoods that are created in trying to cover up the truth.