Edward Albee takes great delight in shocking his audiences into thinking in new ways about familiar topics like love and marriage. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" grabs us by the throat as we watch the train wreck of George and Martha verbally tearing each other apart in the presence of Nick and Honey. In the current play being presented by Bad Habit Productions - "The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?" - another marriage is imploding. The catalyst for the immolation of the marriage between Stevie and Martin is the husband's revelation that he has fallen in love with a goat named Sylvia! Needless to say, Stevie is devastated, and she is not sheepish in showing her dismay and displeasure. Once the audience gets over the shock of the topic of bestiality, then it is possible to process the complex levels of struggle occurring among the four characters. Stevie and Martin have a teenage son who has recently come out to them as gay. Martin's best friend, Ross, is the one to whom Martin had confessed his tryst with Sylvia. Ross, appalled, feels it is his duty to rely the tragic news to Stevie. Albee has stacked the deck to deal with a myriad of painful and complex issues: the nature of love between husband and wife when there has been deep hurt and betrayal, how to deal with a child who has revealed his own struggles, the nature of true friendship and confidentiality in the face of unanticipated circumstances. Albee is also asking us to consider the over-arcing question: "What is normal, and who decides?"
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| Veronica Anastasia Wiseman as Stevie Steven L. Emanuelson as Martin Edward Albee's "The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?" Bad Habit Productions Through August 23 Photo by Paul Cantillon, Lidec Photo |
Director Daniel Morris deftly shepherds a superb cast of four gifted actors. As Martin, Steven L. Emanuelson is believable as a man who is befuddled by his own attraction to "those innocent and accepting eyes of Sylvia." He cannot begin to fathom the blow that he has struck to his wife by telling her that he loves her, but also loves Sylvia and can't imagine giving either one of them up. As Ross, Dale J. Young conveys righteous indignation at his friend's disgusting peccadillo, and fails to grasp that by telling Stevie about Sylvia, he has unleashed the hounds of hell that will tear apart everything in sight. Luke Murtha is superb as Billy, bleating out his anger and fear and insecurities and sexual conflicts. A scene near the end of the play in which he embraces the father whom he has proclaimed to hate is poignant and shocking. Veronica Anastasia Wiseman digs deep to excavate the many layers of Stevie's hurt and rage The arc of her character's emotional displays is both impressive and terrifying. She engages in a sequence of very kinetic redecorating of the living room of the home they have shared. Each broken vase and toppled chair is emblematic of pieces of her heart being torn asunder. It is truly a memorable and visceral performance.
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| Luke Murtha as Billy Edward Albee's "The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?" Bad Habit Productions Through August 23 Photo by Paul Cantillon, Lidec Photo |
The creative team have done an excellent job in creating a realistic facsimile of a placid middle class suburban home. Costumes by Barbara Crowther, Props by Bridgette Hayes, Scenic Design by Kevin Deane Parker, Lighting by P J Strachman and Sound by Andrew Duncan Will all contribute to the overall sense of a calm before the storm.
Do not be put off by the surface subject matter. This is a play worth seeing, and a production worth observing. The play continue through this Sunday, August 23 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.
Bad Habit Productions Website
Enjoy!
Al
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