York's The Belmont Theatre to present WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

The Belmont Theatre will present Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in The Bon-Ton Studio April 28-30 and May 4-7.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is set on the campus of a small, New England university. It opens with the main characters, George and Martha coming home from a party at her father's house. The two of them clearly care deeply for each other, but events have turned their marriage into a nasty battle between two enemies. Even though the pair arrives home at two o'clock in the morning, they are expecting guests: the new math professor and his wife. The young guests walk into a brutal social situation. In the first act, "Fun and Games," Martha and George try to fight and humiliate each other in new, inventive ways. As they peel away each other's pretenses and self-respect, George and Martha use Honey and Nick as pawns, transforming their guests into an audience to witness humiliation, into levers for creating jealousy, and into a means for expressing their own sides of their mutual story. In the second act, "Walpurgisnacht," these games get even nastier.

The evening turns into a nightmare. George and Martha even attack Honey and Nick, attempting to force them to reveal their dirty secrets and true selves. Finally, in the last act, "The Exorcism," everyone's secrets have been revealed and purged. Honey and Nick go home, leaving Martha and George to try to rebuild their shattered marriage.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won both the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962-63 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. The film adaptation was released in 1966 and starred Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, George Segal and Sandy Dennis.

The play is directed by Jack Hartman. The cast features Christy Brooks as Martha, Jeff Gilbert as George, Jeremy Slagle as Nick and Marisa Hoover as Honey.

Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows are at 3:00 p.m. Group sales are available. Go towww.thebelmont.org or call 854-5715 for advance tickets and more information.

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