THEATRE Who's AFRAId OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

Until November 13

WHEN the domestic battlefield that Edward Albee paints in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? went on show to the American public in 1962, it caused a sensation.

Director Giles Havergal's production is no less relevant in its merciless dissection of the brutal games that are often the only things propping up long-dead relationships. As clapped-out academic George and drink-sodden Martha slug it out, the drudgery of their marriage is laid bare.

Nick and Honey - the younger couple they invite to their flat - are idealised reflections of George and Martha in their prime. The emotional pummelling they're given rips apart the lies they too have used to shore up their own marriage.

Ellen Sheean and Peter Guinness are superb as the not-so-happy couple. Stuart Bowman and Lorna McDevitt too are brilliant foils as Nick and Honey. The depth of Kenny Miller's set, with the door at its centre kept firmly shut, lends the stage an ominous air. Outside it, the calm of the real world awaits but, inside, the gloves are off.

Neil Cooper

Copyright 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.