The Publick's 'Virginia Woolf' is a mesmerizing thrill ride

October 9, 7:51 AMBoston Theater ExaminerDonn Saylor

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When it comes to theatrical supercouples, none can rival the sheer magnitude of George and Martha in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. It takes a particularly strong set of actors to make George and Martha work. They are each so disturbed and unique as individuals that when they come together, they are—well, even more disturbing and unique.

I should make it known right from the get-go that Virginia Woolf is one of my favorite plays. I think it is a masterpiece of storytelling, a shocking indictment of the American Dream, a heartbreaking exposé of modern marriage and the little (and not-so-little) fictions and games that hold us together. Over the years, I have seen several productions of Virginia Woolf. Some have been serviceable. Others laughably, almost painfully bad. And a select few have been exceptional.

The Publick Theatre production of Virginia Woolf, currently onstage at the BCA Plaza Theatre, most certainly falls into the last category. The Publick’s Virginia is a nonstop roller coaster ride into the gruesome heart of a marriage held together by booze, deception, and wicked humor. Watching it unfold is one hell of an experience.

College professor George (Nigel Gore) and his boisterous wife Martha (Tina Packer) arrive home late after a faculty party. We soon learn that Martha has invited a young couple, professor Nick (Kevin Kaine) and his mousy wife Honey (Angie Jepson), over for post-party cocktails. But once Nick and Honey arrive, what transpires is far from your typical after-party unwinding. In the course of three riveting acts, George and Martha go at one another with bladed tongues as their guests watch in horror--and we, as an audience, witness the house-of-cards foundation of George and Martha’s marriage crumble before our eyes.

The reason this production is so successful is because of the near-flawless performances from the quartet of actors, directed with inspiration and vision by Diego Arciniegas. As George, the devastatingly handsome Gore is the picture of nuance and emotional integrity. Finding a balance in George is a hard thing to do—he can easily be either too passive or too explosive—but Gore walks the line between the two with precision and truth. Packer, as Martha, is spellbinding: a loud, shrewish character to whom Packer imbues a very troubled, and very visible, soul. Her expressions, her movements, even her frequent bellows across the stage are all small moments that reveal the essence of a terribly lost woman. Kaine and Jepson are equally good, and these two young actors manage to bring out the dysfunction in Nick and Honey’s marriage in a way that is mostly unspoken but nevertheless persistent. And Jepson, with her great comic timing, provides some welcome laughs.

The production has a couple of weak points, though once enthralled by the actors, these areas are easily forgettable. The staging of the play is a bit problematic. The action of the story takes place in George and Martha’s living room, and the stage is set in such a way that the sofa and chairs are positioned away from the audience. I understand the point of this: it’s showing us the theatricality of George and Martha’s detonation, allowing Nick and Honey to be—just as we are—spectators to the madness. But the characters spend a lot of time in these seats, and we as an audience are often deprived of getting their full reactions when they’re facing the opposite direction. Also curious about this production is Packer’s use of her native British accent. From what we know of Martha, she has spent the majority of her life in a small New England college town. I’m not really sure where she would’ve picked up such flawless British intonation, but whatever the reason, thanks to Packer’s primo work here, the use of the accent isn’t distracting in the least.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is running a limited engagement through October 24. And the best advice I can give you is this: Go see it. After it dismantles you, it will move you in the most unexpected ways. This is theater at its best.