WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? 🤩

We don’t make that appointment with the doctor because we “believe” it can’t be serious or untreatable. We will look down and close our eyes when thinking about our finances, our children’s future, our weight, our drinking or drug addictions, our stuck careers, or any myriad of lies that we continually tell ourselves to make us feel better. It is a vicious circle. Words and dialogues are bitter and harsh. The weight on our shoulders is oppressive and heavy. It holds us back from being our authentic selves. It’s like we are wearing rose-colored glasses that we don’t want to take off because it would be a hellish descent. Oh, the emotional and physical pain of it all. This journey is what Edward Albee forces us to travel in the discordant, strident 1966 film WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? I am not sugarcoating this raw, stream-of-consciousness play that, as a black-and-white film, changed the rating system and put its audiences on edge at every viewing. 

I was a senior in high school when WAOVW first premiered. It affected me in the strangest ways. I took in the exorbitant amount of drinking that was done and vitriol dumped. The games Martha (Dane Elizabeth Taylor) and George (Richard Burton) spew upon each other and their guests, Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis), boggle the brain. It was nominated for eleven Oscars and came home with five, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Art Direction, and Costumes. I remember sitting in the theater thinking I wanted to direct this play one day because of the brilliant bantering, the genius monologues, and the perfect closing line. 

George: “WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (This is sung to the nursery song HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH) 

Martha: “I am, George. I am.” 

I bought the script and still have it to this day. 

Elizabeth Taylor gained thirty-five pounds to play this role. She wasn’t sure she could do it. Her husband, Richard Burton, convinced her it would be a great stretch for her acting skills. Years later, she said in an interview that it was the part she was most proud of performing. Elizabeth and Richard worked hard at creating these characters. Their back-and-forth cussing, screaming, shouting, and nagging felt natural. They were simply “not afraid to go there,” which was perfect. Their timing, breaths, quiet stares, and glares represent a master acting class. Off-camera, they had a clause written into their contracts that they never started the day before 10 am. They often took long lunch breaks and again had to be done by 6 pm. The film took an extra month to make, and they were over budget. It was the biggest budget for a black and white and mostly went to the salaries for Richard, Elizabeth, and Albee.  

The film was given a rating that no one under 18 could get into the theater without a parent or guardian. I think that may have helped with sales. This was Mike Nichols’s first time as a movie director, instead of his work for the stage. Burton, Segal, and Dennis were also Broadway actors as well. Elizabeth was very gracious and shared her vast knowledge and experiences of film making with all of them. Nichols was said to rely heavily on his cinematographer for camera angles and lighting tips. It was a real team effort to get WAOVW made at all. 

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? is also about the perils of drinking to excess. I don’t think anyone who drank like they all did would have a healthy liver left. It doesn’t matter if you mix your alcohol or not. Brandy included. Because all four characters were so drunk, their words and phrases became crueler and more biting in the late-night hours. “Slim-hipped, what a dump, flop, simp, hump the hostess, up yours, little bugger, monster, and houseboy.” All these words are out of context, but when placed back into the scenes with the “god dams” and physical violence, it truly would get your blood pressure rising out of control. Tense moments that never stopped until dawn. 

WHO’s AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF is a classic work of art. It is one of the defining films of the ’60s. It is raucous and spellbinding. It shines a light on marital dysfunction within the two couples. Delusions did take over their everyday lives. Reality is a bitch. This film does end with a fleeting glimmer of hope for George and Martha. Perhaps it is possible, but I am leaving the final thought for the audience to decide.

It is available to stream on TMC.