Edward Albee (1928–2016)

The two plays of Albee's with which I'm the most familiar are: (1) "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1962); and (2) "A Delicate Balance" (1966). In both cases, I watched the films before having read the plays. Thus, with "Three Tall Women", having never seen the play on stage -- I wondered how well I'd understand the "text on its own" ... From the beginning, as the characters bicker with one another, a kind of cat-and-mouse game develops, albeit imperceptibly -- Eventually, the ugly, brutal truths arrive (this play is bleak!). And this, I realized based upon my previous knowledge of the playwright's work, is the classic Albee formula -- Wherein mundane discussions morph into a blast of harsh reality ... I'm older than both of the characters "B" and "C" -- But younger than character "A". Having lost both of my parents, as of 2020 -- I understand the situation of "A" in a way that I wouldn't have when I was the ages of both "B" and "C". When "Three Tall Women" was first produced in NYC in 1994, my comprehension of this work would have been limited; too heavy for the person that I was in my mid-30's ... In essence: death is beckoning and "A" knows that her time is short. She's reviewing her life and she's complicated: blunt, cruel, difficult and racist. That being said, she shares certain details of her past with an unflinching honesty -- And it's a past that hasn't been all bad; she's had her fun and wild times along the way. In closing: "A" ends up giving "B", and particularly "C", a life lesson, that being: They should remember what's happening to her now -- As time will fly and it won't be long before both "B" and "C" will be staring down their mortality, as well.… (mais)

I have seen the film version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" many times, which follows the play very closely, with the exception of some locale changes. I am still astounded by this play, and the fact that its central mystery, no matter how many times I read it, will never be uncovered. It is a play that is simultaneously avant-garde and accessible, that cuts through the pretension that exists in most "Broadway-worthy" dramatic work that came before it, and that has come after. WAOVW shows, more effectively than any other play I know, how people behave when their masks are supposedly off--when other, deeper layers of defenses are revealed. Although in the script, Martha and George do admit to being childless, to never having had the "son" they speak so much of--whether or not he ever existed can never truly be known. Because George and Martha are such expert game-players, constantly trying to fool themselves, and each other--the "truth" gets lost in that process. This play has been labeled a "dark comedy", but I would call it a "tragicomedy". This work is also very reflective of the early 1960's when it was written--when the social constraints of the 1950's were being sloughed off, and the swinger movement had entered the mainstream. However--George and Martha, or at least Martha, are so far from the stereotype of "swingers" that to label their characters as such would be an insult. As much as both of them are down to earth, they are also academics (or at least a "closet academic" in Martha's case).

The play is essentially "a performance within a performance"; the characters put on their party hats and play the roles of "party personalities", displaying all the faults and enthusiasms of cruel children. George and Martha are the Alpha-Couple, with Martha being the "Alpha Female"--or so it seems. Nonetheless--although George is consistently hounded by Martha--George also wields power in the relationship. In the end, both George and Martha play the fool; yet beneath their chaotic facades, both possess considerable wisdom. They are just trying to get through life; they are failures; they are laughing at themselves; still, one wishes that it could be so much better for them. If life is truly as ugly as the example provided by WAOVW--what other choice do they have, than to be as they are, and go on as they have been? Although the relationship as it is displayed in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" make it appear that George and Martha have a hellish relationship, that may not actually be the case. The end of the play indicates a capacity on both their parts to, at least temporarily, makes peace with their tragedy, and with each other, thus making it bearable for them to go on living, with themselves and with one another.… (mais)