Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

At a time of year when most theatre companies are choosing comedies, musicals and pantomimes, Performing Arts Association of Notre Dame (PAANDA) are bucking the trend, with the very dark Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.

After a university faculty party, middle-aged couple George and Martha are visited by younger couple Nick and Honey, who are unwittingly drawn into George and Martha’s complex, bitter and abusive relationship.

Simply set against drapes, the show is emotively lit by Cat Acres and features sound design by Anni Conti. Costuming by Eloise Budimlich and Amy Hannaford helps establish the era and characters, as does effective hair and make-up by Martha O’Hagan.

This small ensemble cast work particularly well together – and despite the antagonism throughout there is a feeling that each performer is well supported by the remaining cast. Every performer has particularly strong non-verbal reactions and the performers’ skill in actively listening in this show is impressive. 

Matthew Jones ages up nicely to play George – a man near twice his age, with depth and conviction. He spars very well with Orla Poole, also bringing nuance and maturity to a much older role, as Martha. Dylan Hansen plays Nick with handsome confidence, showing a compelling journey, while Sophie Kelly brings a delicate strength to the role of Honey.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a notoriously long piece, but at the preview this show ran near 3 and a half hours with interval – meaning that there is some pace to be gained – something that I expect will happen as the run progresses.

Kimberley Shaw