Ruthless Drama at the Camille Playhouse

In Arthur Albee’s Tony Award winning play, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” couples hurt one another for sport, ruthlessly unpacking their emotional baggage as they douse their delicate egos in alcohol.

“Their emotions are incredibly raw,” said Ben Agresti, who directed the Camille Playhouse’s production of the play, which opens tonight. “I think everyone has been to a party where someone said too much, where they let something slip. These people just implode on this particular night.”

George and Martha have brought another couple, Nick and Honey, back to their home after a party at the small northeastern college where they work. Nick and Honey become the unwitting spectators of George and Martha’s verbal and physical abuse as both couples become increasingly intoxicated.

“It was a groundbreaking play when it was written,” Agresti said. In the play, the characters experiment with self-analysis and microscopically explore their relationships, reflecting the increasing attention to psychoanalysis at the time.

According to Agresti, the actors endure a marathon performance, barely leaving the stage or engaging in a light-hearted moment the whole play through.

“I don’t think an audience has ever seen four actors work this hard on stage,” he said.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” opens tonight at 8 p.m. at the Camille Playhouse and will show Jan. 26, 27, and Feb. 1, 2, and 3, with Sunday matinees at 2:30.

What: The Camille Playhouse presents “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” by Edward Albee.

When: . Show dates are Jan. 25, 26, 27 and Feb. 1, 2, 3. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m.

Where: The Camille Playhouse, loacted at 1 Dean Porter Park

Admission: Tickets for adults are $15 and students $10. Not suitable for children and young teens.

For more information: Call (956) 542-8900