Gamm Presents A Riveting ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’

WARWICK, RI — The Gamm Theatre’s production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a, riveting haunting look at a troubled marriage. 

Tony Estrella and Jeanine Kane, who have previously co-starred in “Macbeth” and “The Night of the Iguana,” are at the top of their game as George and Martha.

The action takes place in the couple’s home on the campus of a small New England college in 1962. George is a history professor. Martha is the daughter of the college’s president. 

The play begins with them returning from a party in the middle of the night. It is obvious they both have had too much to drink. Martha and George bicker about old movies. Martha is lusty, neurotic, vindictive, and self-pitying. She mocks George for being a failed novelist who could never make it past his status as a history professor.  

George makes fun of Martha’s excessive drinking and her age. She’s six years older. 

They are soon joined by a younger couple, Nick (Gunnar Manchester) and Honey (Gabrielle McCauley). Nick is a handsome biology professor. Honey is his sweet but daffy wife. 

Drinks are consumed. Intimate secrets are revealed. Tensions between George and Martha explode and threaten to engulf Nick and Honey.

The play is a comedy, but the humor is very dark. George and Martha tease and taunt each other, when they’re not busy playing mind games with their unwitting guests. These are very disturbed individuals whose demons can barely be contained.

Albee, who died in 2016, focuses on the darkest aspects of human nature in his work. His dialogue is witty and sometimes profane. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is his most famous play and won a Tony Award in 1962. The movie version starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as George and Martha.

Estrella is amusingly eccentric as George, a man seething with hostility after years of being in an unhappy marriage. George is jealous of Nick’s youth and physical attractiveness. 

Manchester and Estrella play off each other very well as the older man subtly undermines his younger counterpart. 

Manchester (“Ironbound”) is also outstanding as Nick is lusted after by Martha and emotionally manipulated by George. He’s caught in the middle of their turmoil and faces his own martial tensions with Honey as a result.

McCauley (“Describe the Night”) is a skilled actress and does what she can with the underdeveloped role she is given. Honey spends much of her time sprawled out on the bathroom floor while Nick is seducing – or being seduced by – Martha. 

The real standout here is Kane. She draws out all of Martha’s worst instincts as she humiliates George, flirts with Nick, and wallows in booze. This is a woman with an overwhelming amount of psychological baggage and her only outlet for her rage is George, a man she still loves, despite his insults.

The technical aspects of the production are first-rate. Steve Kidd’s direction is fluid. Jessica Hill Kidd’s set design is stunning in its attention to detail. George and Martha’s home looks cozy and lived-in. Jeff Adelberg’s lighting is moody and atmospheric.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a three hour show which is riveting from beginning to end.    

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf runs through February 18. The Gamm Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Boulevard. Warwick, RI. For tickets, call 401-723-4266 or visit www.gammtheatre.org.