STAGE REVIEW : A ‘Woolf’ That Fulfills Albee’s Promise

During one of the nastier scenes in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” George tells wife Martha to prepare for all-out war--let the bodies fall where they may, he warns, the evening is bound to have marital atrocities aplenty.

He doesn’t let her down. The Garden Grove Community Theatre doesn’t let down its audience, either. This ChristoferCariello-directed production fulfills the 1963 drama’s promise of domestic disaster lubricated by booze and venom without blurring its psychological thrust.

Sure, Cariello does make too generous use of “Woolf’s” comic possibilities--a laugh in the wrong spot, like the last eviscerating scene between George and Martha, can trivialize the dramatic force. But that cavil aside (and the given that “Woolf” should have some giggles to relax the unabated turbulence), this is a pointed, strongly acted effort.

In an ensemble that is almost always on, Ashley Carr as George is exceptional. It is a pleasure to see an actor who uses the hint instead of the hammer in revealing character.

Carr’s clenched portrayal describes George’s frustrations at being a loser in the university’s history department, where he is an aging (but not advancing) associate professor.

His cruel personality has roots beyond career disappointments. George is a darkly complex man with a darkly complex past, and Carr communicates a sense of foreboding that comes from that past. Even when the other actors have the lines, you can’t help but watch Carr to see how he is reacting or to figure out what he will do next.

George is not a nice person, and neither is Martha (Sheri Savage). Any self-doubt he has is magnified by her barrage of recriminations; he may have let himself down, but Martha, a shrew from the word go, lets him know that the worst injustice is the way he has let her down. When a young, upstart biology instructor (Jeffrey Orman) and his mousy wife (Emilie Cheryll show up for cocktails, Martha has the right audience to watch her put George in his place.

It takes a pretty tough-minded performance to keep up with Carr, and Savage delivers. She errs some by making Martha unceasingly bitchy (her crumble at the end is a bit unexpected), but her gleaming passion for the fray makes for a night of pyrotechnics, especially in the first act.

As the unwitting casualties in this mini-war, Orman offers the better performance. His Nick is all studious restraint and uneasy politeness until he has a few drinks and learns the lay of the land. Once he knows that there aren’t any civilized rules here, he is trading insults with George and trying to mount Martha.

Cheryll does not fully match Orman or the others. She is fine early on when Honey is little more than a giggling “simp” to be derided by George (and defended, without much conviction, by Nick), but as the character gets drunk and more out-of-control, so does Cheryll. George’s penultimate scene, when he maliciously decides how he will avenge Martha’s infidelity, is disturbed by, of all things, Honey’s hyperventilating.

Mike Moon’s set of a living room is more serviceable than interesting, although the faux fireplace is a good touch. But “Woolf” doesn’t need much of a backdrop, anyway. The dialogue is so charged, the characters so remarkable, that this mordant classic can be played against a black curtain and still work, as long as the acting and directing are sharp.

‘WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?’

A Garden Grove Community Theatre production of Edward Albee’s drama. Directed by Christofer Cariello. With Ashley Carr, Sheri Savage, Emilie Cheryll and Jeffrey Orman. Set by Mike Moon. Plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. through April 23, matinee Sunday at 2:30 p.m., at 12001 St. Mark St., Garden Grove. Tickets: $5, $4. (714) 897-5122.