Potsdam. Two o’clock in the morning, the world is upside down, jazz music hangs over this little rush that the couple takes home. Martha (Bettina Riebesel) and George (René Schwittay) come from the party, and the next party is just around the corner: the young couple “Sweetie” (Nadine Nollau) and Nick (Jan Hallmann) are invited to the followingglow. There are defensive reactions, cockfights and lots of alcohol on stage on Saturday, where “Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf?” premiered in the riding hall of the Hans Otto Theater. The narrowness of the arena acts like a laboratory in which one can ideally place the field tests to see how close the people are within the partnership. That’s no longer sociology, it’s almost natural science.
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It’s regarding those little wars that grow out of love when love changes direction: do we still like each other, or do we know each other far too well to encourage and appreciate each other? Do we ignite the second stage, sabotage our partner, throw him to the bone, gladly in front of the assembled audience? Edward Albee’s 1962 play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a high-speed tragedy in which the shards of a marriage keep causing new wounds.
Elizabeth Taylor’s performance is still considered the gold standard
Ever since Mike Nichols filmed it for the cinema in 1966, this play has been a stage for Martha, played by Elizabeth Taylor in the film, so vulgar and furious that there was nothing left to do but award her an Oscar for this devilish ride. Taylor’s appearance is the gold standard for this role, in Potsdam it is played by Bettina Riebesel, who gives the monkey a lot of sugar: evil grimaces, sardonic laughter, lascivious flirtation. She gives the piece the glue it needs. In all signs of dissolution, she pulls the strings so that in the end it can somehow be decided: Life goes on.
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We’re sitting here in front of a chamber play, a small space, a living room (stage: Juan León), no space to run around, two couples – the conditions are non-negotiable. The staff is caged to push love to the limit. Martha seduces the young neighbor Nick, a huge, red robe lies soothingly over this act, which Martha has just worn as a dress (costumes: Arianna Fantin).
The Drunkard and the Whole Woman
Director Moritz Peters sends the two couples on a journey into the night, George as a virile drunkard, his wife Martha as a full woman with too much lust for life and too much depression in her heart for her lust to actually grow into joy. Martha and George share a lie, they tell of the son who never existed, he is considered purely fictitious proof of a future that is to be enforced with power.
Perhaps most feared for “sweetie” is this young woman tucked into a blue dress, almost gagged in the petticoat. It’s a ball gown, a pretty prop for a life aimed at the higher estates. Nadine Nollau exhibits a stiff prosperity as “sweetness”, which she embodies precisely as the doll-like friendliness, which in the end has to be considered self-denial. “Sweetie” repeatedly hangs over the toilet to vomit. This is transmitted loudly and clearly with the microphone.
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For two hours, the premiere shows the compact course in the disciplines of competition, bragging and fighting drinking. Glasses for the long drinks stand on the shelf like skittles, they are shaken, not stirred – this quickly looks like a hand movement when masturbating. In the end it’s all regarding being happy, it doesn’t work together. At some point you try to do it on your own. That’s convincing in this sad show, tempered with black humor throughout, in which two middle-class marriages are dismantled.
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Further performances on October 22nd, 30th, 31st, November 12th, 26th and December 26th. Riding hall of the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam. Tickets at the box office at 0331/98118.