Last night ten of us showed up at Gregor Samsa to read a play – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

In the photo, you see me playing George (cleverly disguised as Richard Burton) and Rani playing Martha (looking a lot like Elizabeth Taylor).  We took on the roles for Act One and Act Three.  Harry and Lola played the couple in Act Two.

We were all fierce.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about the play:

George, an associate professor of history at a small New England college, and his wife Martha, the daughter of the university president, return home drunk from a party.  Martha has invited a young married couple she met at the party for a drink.  The guests arrive – Nick, a biology professor, and his wife, Honey – just before 2:30 A.M.  As the four drink, Martha and George engage in scathing verbal abuse in front of Nick and Honey.  The younger couple is first embarrassed and later entangled.

Do you want to get a feel for us last night?  Okay, here we go:

George:  You’re a monster – you are.
Martha:  I’m loud and I’m vulgar, and I wear the pants in the house because somebody’s got to, but I am not a monster. I’m not.
George:  You’re a spoiled, self-indulgent, willful, dirty-minded, liquor-ridden ...
Martha:  SNAP! It went SNAP! I’m not gonna try to get through to you anymore. There was a second back there, yeah, there was a second, just a second when I could have gotten through to you, when maybe we could have cut through all this, this CRAP. But it’s past, and I’m not gonna try.

***

George:  Martha, in my mind you’re buried in cement right up to the neck. No, up to the nose, it’s much quieter.

***

Martha:  I looked at you tonight and you weren’t there … And I’m gonna howl it out, and I’m not gonna give a damn what I do and I’m gonna make the biggest God damn explosion you’ve ever heard.

***

George:  And please keep your clothes on, too. There aren’t many more sickening sights in this world than you with a few drinks in you and your skirt up over your head.

***

Martha: I swear … if you existed, I’d divorce you.  I haven’t been able to see you for years.  You’re a blank, a cipher.

***

George:  Once a month, Martha. I’ve gotten used to it. Once a month, and we get Misunderstood Martha, the goodhearted girl underneath the barnacles. The little miss that the touch of kindness will bring to bloom again. And I believed it more times than I’d like to admit because I don’t like to think I’m that much of a sucker. But I don’t believe you, I just don’t believe you! There is no moment, there is NO moment anymore when we could come together.

***

Martha:  George … who is good to me – whom I revile, who can keep learning the games we play as quickly as I can change them. Who can make me happy and I do not wish to be happy. Yes, I do wish to be happy. George and Martha: Sad, sad, sad.

***

Rani and I loved snarling our lines – spitting them out.

After all was said and done, we sat in the glorious room with its deep green walls and wooden beams above.  We talked.  We analyzed.  My body was there … I was not.  I was still George, seething at Martha, ready to give the middle finger to anyone who crossed me.

George only floated away when my eyes closed in bed

But now, as I write this, my lips tighten once more