They’re not afraid of Virginia Woolf

By Cindy Landrum  

JANUARY 13, 2011 11:52 a.m. (0)

Actress and singer  Mimi Wyche, Fine Arts Director Roy Fluhrer and former Clemson University Dean of Architecture, Arts and Humanities Chip Egan have wanted to bring “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” to Greenville for years.

But the timing never was right.

Until now.

And it took a select group of arts supporters, appropriately being called “the Woolfpack,” to make it happen.

When the play opens on Jan. 21 at the Warehouse Theatre, it will be the first time since the late 1960s that the American contemporary theater classic written by a man considered to be one of the greatest American playwrights will be seen in Greenville.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is a play that needs to be seen, said Fluhrer, who is directing the 10-show run.

“The language and characters are riveting and arresting,” Fluhrer said. “Edward Albee managed in this play to combine humor, the belly laugh humor you’d expect from a comedy, with the stormy rage found in some of the most difficult dramas.”

Because “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” is such a complex play, Wyche, Egan and Fluhrer decided to raise money so the play’s budget would allow for a longer rehearsal period than normally found in community theaters.

“The play demands so much work to give it the respect it deserves and we wanted a top-notch production,” Wyche said.

So the trio handwrote notes to about 80 people who have in the past supported the arts in Greenville and the Warehouse Theatre in particular asking for money to cover the cost of actor salaries, the director salary, set and costumes.

They started getting responses within a week, Fluhrer said.

Wyche said the trio hopes to bring more plays like “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” to Greenville.

“A classic is a classic because it continues to resonate in contemporary life,” she said. “We really hope this is the first of many we can bring to Greenville.”

In the play, George and Martha invite a professor and his wife to their home after a party. George and Martha continue drinking and engage in relentless, scathing verbal and sometimes physical abuse in front of the other couple, who find it fascinating and embarrassing at the same time.

Many know “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” as a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

But that’s both a blessing and a curse, Wyche said. The movie was a blessing because many people know its name, she said.But it was a curse because the movie was so superficial and highly edited, she said. “It was a showcase for Elizabeth Taylor to show she could be drunk and slovenly,” Wyche said. “It only showed a tiny sliver of the actual play.”

And it created the misconception that the play is incredibly dark and depressing, Wyche said. “The truth is, it is a tale of redemption, ultimately,” Wyche said. “It’s funny. It has its dark moments but it is lively, rich and human.”

Fluhrer calls  “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” a cautionary tale about what is lost in the illusions we create about ourselves and each other.

“It’s about the illusions we create to live,” she said.

Virginia Woolf, the writer, specialized in tearing away the illusion in her writing, Wyche said.

Wyche said Martha is a great female role. “Any role that takes you on such an emotional journey is something every actress longs for. I feel like I could rehearse for two years and barely scratch the surface.”

Wyche said she once read an interview with Edward Albee, who has to give his personal approval for a theater to perform his play, who described “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” as a love story.

“I was taken aback. On my first read of the script, I saw it as a knockdown, drag-out war between a totally dysfunctional couple,” said Wyche, who understudied Mercedes Ruehl for the role at the Guthrie Theater. “I discovered it really is a love story. The part has so many dimensions, so many challenges.”

For Fluhrer as the director, the biggest challenge is the script itself.

“It’s a constant process of discovery,” he said. “Discovery makes it worthwhile for you as an artist, but also as a human being. As a director, I’d rather rehearse than open the show. I love the journey the actors take me on and I love the journey they take each other on.”

“It is time to bring that American classic to Greenville,” he said.  “It is something that needs to be seen.”

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