Revelatory take on the play.

[GlindatheGood22]

Nominations for all?

[castlestreet]

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!

[SonofRobbieJ]

^ That just made me realize what I responded to so strongly. I feel like with Letts and Morton, they were a couple who hated each other so much because, at some point, they loved each other deeply. And that, perhaps, they can get back to that now that the kid is dead. It was the strangest feeling I've ever had at the end of a play. Even though it was a scene of total devestation, you felt that rebirth was finally possible.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

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.

[castlestreet]

And that was it exactly- as I watched this unfold, and felt like I was seeing it for the first time, I realized- I know these people! I KNOW couples who loved so hard and fast for a time, life happens and you can't believe that they are the way they are with each other now.

It was just so well crafted how the final moments unfold in this production and it is really due to fine line Morton and Letts walk- I never for once felt like the emotion on stage was forced and left literally thinking to myself "how in the HELL do they go through that 8 times a week!"

[little_sally]

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.

[jv92]

I saw the matinee today. What an extraordinary three hours and ten minutes. The big standout is Letts in a foursome of standouts. Morton's take on Martha was completely her own. A thrilling experience. I wish I could say more, but I'm STILL trying to take all of it in. I might just see it again.

[Roscoe]

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.

[jv92]

I noticed small revisions and changes too, though I thought maybe my memory was playing tricks on me. The only copy of the play I could find home, however, was the 2005 revised paperback. I guess I don't own an older copy.

[SonofRobbieJ]

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.

[Ed_Mottershead]

I was at last Saturday's matinee and was again mesmerized by the writing. I noticed that after George's speech about the Bergin, in the original, Martha says something later in the play about George used to drink bergin, too. Could anyone clarify why that line was dropped?

[RippedMan]

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.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Like Long Day's Journey, Streetcar, Death of a Salesman, Our Town and a very few others, Woolf is a contender for Best American Play "ever" in many people's books. IMO, every generation of theatre-lovers should have the opportunity to experence it and one production of each every five years would not be excessive assuming that they are done well.