A MODERN TRAGEDY IN PLAIN SIGHT

Albee’s shocking premise unfolds with
the inevitability of Greek drama

William Giammona as Martin, Kevin Singer as Ross

Playwright Edward Albee remains one of the most incisive chroniclers of American family life, exposing its fractures with wit, precision, and a willingness to disturb. His 1962 masterpiece, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, set the template—an outwardly successful couple unraveling over the course of an evening. In The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, now at Shotgun Players under the direction of Kevin Clark, Albee pushes even further, constructing a domestic tragedy that plays less like psychological realism and more like something ancient and inescapable.

Erin Mei-Ling Stuart as Stevie, William Giammona as Martin

At first, the Gray family appears enviably complete. Martin (William Giammona), a celebrated architect, lives with his intelligent and composed wife Stevie (Erin Mei-Ling Stuart) and their son Billy (Joel Ochoa), who is navigating his own identity. But the illusion collapses when Martin confesses to his friend Ross (Kevin Singer) that he is in love—and that the object of his affection is a goat named Sylvia. What follows is not merely shock, but the beginning of a slow, inexorable unraveling.

William Giammona as Martin, Kevin Singer as Ross

Clark’s staging leans into that inevitability. Rather than treating the play as absurdist provocation, this production frames it as a kind of contemporary Greek tragedy, where the revelation functions as a fatal flaw and the consequences unfold with mounting force. Once Ross reveals the truth to Stevie, the second act ignites: disbelief gives way to rage, and Martin, steadfast in his conviction, refuses apology or retreat. His insistence on the authenticity of his love only accelerates the collapse. When Billy enters the fray, the emotional stakes widen, and the family’s destruction feels both shocking and unavoidable.

Erin Mei-Ling Stuart as Stevie, Joel Ochoa as Billy

By the final act, there is no possibility of restoration—only consequence. Albee denies resolution, offering instead a brutal culmination that leaves the audience to reckon with themes of love, taboo, truth, and the fragile boundaries of social acceptance. These are not questions meant to be answered neatly; they linger, unresolved and unsettling.

Erin Mei-Ling Stuart as Stevie

The performances ground the play’s extreme premise in emotional reality. Giammona makes Martin’s sincerity believable, even as his choices defy comprehension. Ochoa’s Billy captures the confusion and hurt of a son whose sense of security is shattered. But it is Ms. Stuart as Stevie who delivers the most searing work. Beginning in quiet control, she absorbs the revelation piece by piece, her composure cracking until it gives way to fury. Her physicality—tightened breath, shifting posture, the barely contained energy—communicates as much as the text itself, culminating in a performance that is both devastating and unforgettable.

Erin Mei-Ling Stuart as Stevie, William Giammona as Martin

The minimalist set by California Scenic Fabrication keeps the focus squarely on the actors, allowing the emotional and psychological action to dominate. The sparseness enhances the sense of inevitability, as if nothing can distract from what is unfolding.

Seeing the Sunday matinee on a bright Berkeley afternoon only heightened the experience. Stepping back into the sunlight after 90 minutes of emotional storm felt almost disorienting—a reminder of how fully Albee’s world, and this production, can pull you in.

Joel Ochoa as Billy

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photos by Ben Krantz
poster design by R Black

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
Shotgun Players
Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley
Wed and Thurs at 7; Fri and Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on May 3, 2026
for tickets, call 510.841.6500 x303 or visit Shotgun

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