Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - a review

My wonderful speech coach for my TEDx Talk, Mel Sherwood, recently starred in a performance of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Roxy in Edinburgh. She played the dynamic and very damaged Martha, a role made famous by Elizabeth Taylor in the movie version in 1966. Mel did it proud. The whole cast did. However, it is a very disturbing play.       I'll admit, I did little research into the play before we attended. I had a feeling I knew what it was, but I wanted to support my friend, so I stayed open-minded to the experience. Not to mention, the play by Edward Albee won nearly every award possible when it was first released in 1962.
     It's a story of broken people in broken relationships, who have created twisted means of surviving their unsatisfying lives. It obviously struck a cord with a lot of people in the tumultuous 1960s when it was released around such events as the Medgar Evers murder in Jackson, Mississippi; the Viet Cong's first victory during the Vietnam War; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech; and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
     While I so admired the performances, I have to admit, it was a very difficult play for me to watch. I came from an abusive background, and this play hit way too close to home for me. I was nearly in tears at several points during the performance.      It had to be a very difficult headspace to exist in for the months of training it took for Mel and the rest of the cast to memorize the emotionally exhausting three-hour-long play, which is based completely on dialogue. It's an achievement for any actor - truly. They all gave amazing performances and deserved the standing ovation we gave them.
     It just speaks to the power the arts can have, the impact they can make. I don't think anybody who has ever watched the play or the movie walks away completely the same.