Edward Albee: WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

First of all we have to thank Caroline for welcoming us again at her place. Professional book club hostess she received us (Emma-Jane and friend Hannah, Robin, Helen, Cynhia and Maren) with her legendary charm and warmth.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? inspired a rather positive feedback. Here some of the topics we discussed:

• The play counts amongst those which mark people's mind, of which one will never forget when and where seen for the first time. Amongst us there were at least two people who would confirm this theory (Hannah and Robin).

• The evening of the couple was cathartic, one might be inclined to wonder why. One of the possible answers lies in the three angle conversation: The presence of Nick and Honey allowed George and Martha to address topics and thoughts to their counterpart, which would not be possible in a direct conversation.

• We had a look on Martha's really special relationship with her father. Although Martha's father is apparantly not giving too much about his daughter, she is taking over the position of a wife in his fund raising activities. And, the social standing of Martha is important to her father, since an unconventional marriage was annulled on his intervention.

• Did George really kill his family? Na..., we were not really up to believe it. The story was "used" in different constellations, so it is probably not a real story, but applied where it suits.

• Obsession versus love: What keeps Martha and George together? Difficult question, we could finally not really answer. Bets went in both directions, probably the truth lies in between...

• Honey: Looks as if she does not really want children. What are the signs which feed this suspicion?  At one point she says precisely while she is crying, that she does not want children. They also allude to the fact that she may have terminated one or more pregnancies.

• Cynthia came up with some interesting ideas from the Schmoop notes on the Kindle, which are kind of like the 21st Century Cliff Notes or Monarch Notes she used to use in High School in the United States. The play can be read with a number of double sense reading: Heaven vs hell (swearing and Christian quotations, as well as the fictitious son being portrayed as a Christ figure, having been killed for the salvation of George and Martha) and East against West (George/Martha, the first names of the Washington's in contrast to Nick equal Nikita Khrushchev).

As usual our conversation went also on to other horizons:

• Most beautiful women in cinema: Elizabeth Taylor (of course), Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, ...
• Wonderful Meryl Streep and her interpretations of different woman characters, especially her recent Oscar winning Margaret Thatcher interpretation
• Cartoons for adults: Family Guy, Simpsons, South Park

Cynthia & Maren