Two titans of the small screen dominate the stage at @sohoplace in a play that premiered more than sixty years ago. They portray two deeply complex and troubled characters in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, one of the most thrillingly brutal examinations of marriage ever written. This magnificent new production, directed by Marianne Elliott, doesn’t come across as a period piece or a revered classic receiving yet another revival. Instead it feels revelatory and fresh.
Albee’s play follows middle-aged couple George and Martha after a late-night faculty gathering on an American college campus. When they invite ambitious young professor Nick and his wife Honey back to their home for drinks, what begins as awkward socialising soon descends into a marathon of psychological games, bitter truths and long-buried resentments.
As the night wears on and the alcohol flows, the younger couple become unwilling participants in George and Martha’s toxic relationship, leading to a devastating confrontation that forces all four characters to confront the illusions they have built around their lives. The production embraces both the play’s dark humour and its emotional brutality, finding laughs in the most uncomfortable places before delivering moments of genuine heartbreak.
Leading the cast are Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup, delivering performances of extraordinary precision. Anderson plays the daughter of the college president with a broad New Jersey accent, making Martha feel less grandiose than other productions have done in the past. Anderson’s Martha is fierce and unpredictable, a shrill laugh further highlighting how volatile she can be. Anderson dominates the space whenever she’s on stage, weaponising humour, sexuality and cruelty in equal measure. Yet in later scenes the vulnerability lurking beneath all of Martha’s bravado is allowed to surface, the contradiction making for a rich performance.
Crudup is an equally formidable counterpart as George. At times a character to be pitied, his deceptively measured demeanour conceals a penchant for psychological warfare and the final salvo is delivered with a calm devastation. It is the chemistry of Anderson and Crudup together that makes this such an astonishing piece of theatre, their verbal sparring crackles with wit and venom, the audience left in no doubt that this is a couple that know exactly how to hurt each other the most.
As the younger couple drawn into George and Martha’s games, Josh Dylan and Phoebe Horn are superb. Dylan gives Nick an appealing confidence that slowly gives way to discomfort and opportunism as the evening spirals out of control. Horn’s Honey begins as a figure of nervous comic relief but gradually becomes one of the production’s most affecting presences, revealing layers of sadness beneath her awkward demeanour. Together they provide a compelling counterpoint to the central relationship while becoming increasingly entangled in its destructive orbit.
Elliott’s direction is exceptional, maintaining astonishing tension across the play’s considerable running time. Every pause, glance and shift in power feels meticulously judged, allowing Albee’s language to breathe while ensuring the drama never loses momentum. Even at three hours in, you could see the audience leaning further forward in their seats, completely absorbed by the action unfolding.
This is made somewhat easier by Miriam Buether’s design, which places the action in the round. The couple’s circular living room slowly rotates (at a barely perceptible speed) allowing the whole audience to see the story from every angle. The layout of @SohoPlace ensures an exceptional view for everyone, though those in the front row will have experienced something extraordinary due to the intimacy of the staging. As the room rotates, the two entrance points occasionally become blocked by furniture reflecting the emotional imprisonment of its inhabitants, while making the situation feel all the more claustrophobic.
James Farncombe’s lighting subtly charts the passage from intoxicated revelry to painful dawn-time clarity, while Ian Dickinson’s sound design deepens the atmosphere without ever distracting from the performances.
This is theatre of the highest calibre: intelligent, exhilarating and emotionally shattering. Anchored by four outstanding performances and guided by Marianne Elliott with absolute confidence, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? emerges as one of the defining theatrical events of the year. A modern masterpiece receives the production it deserves.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
