A CLASSIC THAT STILL CUTS DEEP

A perfect cast brings Albee’s brutal masterpiece
roaring to life—if with slightly less bite than usual

There’s a reason Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? refuses to age: it’s one of the greatest plays ever written, a savage autopsy of marriage, illusion, and the lies we need to survive. South Coast Repertory’s revival, directed by Lisa Rothe, understands that—and delivers a production that is as engrossing as it is exhausting in the best way. “Three hours that feel like a dare—and a reward.” The slow burn is deliberate, the emotional wreckage cumulative, and the payoff still lands with bruising force. If this staging doesn’t always lean into the play’s most ferocious malice, it compensates with clarity, control, and a deep respect for Albee’s architecture.

The real triumph here is the casting. Kim Martin-Cotten and Brian Vaughn are formidable as Martha and George, navigating the emotional minefield with precision and stamina, while Elysia Roorbach and Gabriel Gaston bring a deceptively layered presence as the younger couple drawn into the carnage. “A quartet that plays off each other like chamber musicians with knives.” What emerges is less a shouting match than a carefully calibrated war of attrition—perhaps a touch less venom than some productions, but no less compelling. And when the final revelation arrives, it still hits with that familiar, sickening clarity. This Virginia Woolf may not go for the jugular every time, but it’s still gripping, intelligent, and—yes—highly recommended.

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photo credit: Scott Smeltzer/SCR

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
in rep with God of Carnage
South Coast Repertory
Segerstrom Stage, Costa Mesa, CA
ends on March 21, 2026
for tickets, visit SCR

for more shows, visit Theatre in LA

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