This play was the “second act” in Edward Albee’s long creative life, premiering in New York 25 years ago when he was generally considered to have burned out: in a spectacular rebound, he won the Pulitzer Prize for this witty, incisive look at the truths each generation must learn.
You’ll have to hustle to embrace the brilliance, since MSU’s student-driven Second Stage Productions has just two more shows in their Arena Theater, this Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, cost $5. (“Women” is rarely done in our neighborhood due to casting requirements noted below.)
The Women have no names, just ages: “A” is 92, “B” is 52 and “C” is 26. (There is also The Boy [Quentin Nottage] who has no lines.) The real-time first act shows A in her dotage, principally cared for by B with some assistance from C. In the expansive second act, they become young-old-older versions of the same woman and get to bark good lines at each other.
Chloe Brandt excels as A, delivering her enormous initial line load with a well-controlled crankiness. Joie Raymond is all smooth moves as B, crisply professional in the first act, then jaded and cynical in the second, while Shelby Romatz’ C is actually somewhat more appealing in the first act than the pathetically naïve version in the second. They play off each other very well.
HOWEVER, as I am wont to say in such cases, “age has its own authority”: Glenda Jackson was 82 when she won last year’s Lead Actress Tony and Laurie Metcalf 62 when winning Supporting Actress. Outside of the fun snappiness of Act One, Albee’s demonstrative epiphany in Act Two is, “What if our generations could speak to each other? Would it make any difference?” No matter how well performed, the play loses some of its punch when all the women are about 20.
That said, this is an excellent production directed by Marshall Ross, of a seminal work by one of our greatest 20th Century playwrights. You should try to see it, if only because the play may not come this way again anytime soon.
Saturday, March 30, at 7:00pm
Sunday, March 31, at 2:00pm
Arena Theatre - lower level of MSU Auditorium Building
Tickets: $5