Saddened to hear about the death of Edward Albee a few days ago as it stirred vivid memories of a renaissance of the arts in the early 60s at a time when the West End theatre in London was dominated by French window trifles and 'naice' plays for Aunt Edna, including tea matinees where we would pass trays along the rows where we sat until they reached the number on the raffle ticket, next to the teapot - and the rattle of crockery, followed by tut-tuts, as the tray was returned to the aisle after the interval curtain was raised! 
I first encountered the work of Albee in a double-bill at the Royal Court Th, 1961; The Death of Bessie Smith and The American Dream. A new voice, bleakly humorous, to join John Osborne, Inadmissible Evidence, and Arnold Wesker, Chips with Everything, speaking for a new era indicating a welcome change for my generation. However, Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, 1964, arrived smartly from NY's Broadway at the Piccadilly theatre with an electrifying impact, the original cast of Uta Hagen, (Martha) and Arthur Hill, (George), a turbulent relationship, sustained over a running time of three and a half hours of coruscating dialogue, veering between hilarious invective penetrating the darker side of marriage, religion, raising children and American life - the one-liners often greeted with hysteria and applause. A paperback edition of the play was quickly released and snapped up by theatregoers. The theatre magazine of the day, Encore, also devoted an issue to the author which still has pride of place on my shelves. I was also thrilled to acquire a LP set of the original cast recording from a dealer on the Portobello Road, Notting Hill at a modest price - probably fell off the back of a lorry!
I spent several years in repertory theatre during the 60s but always made time for any Albee play in 'town' during my visits: A Delicate Balance, Sea Scape and Tiny Alice at the RSC,Aldwych. Some years later, my final Albee play was Three Tall Women, Wyndham's Th, and Maggie Smith's outburst in the final act reminded me that we should also have seen her Martha in Who's Afraid... at the RSC or NT. Instead the NT cast Joan Plowright with Paul Eddington as George and the regular indisposition of the Dame, before she withdrew from the production, is a sad tale in itself.
Perhaps the time is nigh for a revival of Albee's work and wish to extend a genuine thank you to the three time Pulitzer Prize winner for his substantial contribution to the renaissance of the arts in the 60s and beyond.
RIP
I first encountered the work of Albee in a double-bill at the Royal Court Th, 1961; The Death of Bessie Smith and The American Dream. A new voice, bleakly humorous, to join John Osborne, Inadmissible Evidence, and Arnold Wesker, Chips with Everything, speaking for a new era indicating a welcome change for my generation. However, Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, 1964, arrived smartly from NY's Broadway at the Piccadilly theatre with an electrifying impact, the original cast of Uta Hagen, (Martha) and Arthur Hill, (George), a turbulent relationship, sustained over a running time of three and a half hours of coruscating dialogue, veering between hilarious invective penetrating the darker side of marriage, religion, raising children and American life - the one-liners often greeted with hysteria and applause. A paperback edition of the play was quickly released and snapped up by theatregoers. The theatre magazine of the day, Encore, also devoted an issue to the author which still has pride of place on my shelves. I was also thrilled to acquire a LP set of the original cast recording from a dealer on the Portobello Road, Notting Hill at a modest price - probably fell off the back of a lorry!
I spent several years in repertory theatre during the 60s but always made time for any Albee play in 'town' during my visits: A Delicate Balance, Sea Scape and Tiny Alice at the RSC,Aldwych. Some years later, my final Albee play was Three Tall Women, Wyndham's Th, and Maggie Smith's outburst in the final act reminded me that we should also have seen her Martha in Who's Afraid... at the RSC or NT. Instead the NT cast Joan Plowright with Paul Eddington as George and the regular indisposition of the Dame, before she withdrew from the production, is a sad tale in itself.
Perhaps the time is nigh for a revival of Albee's work and wish to extend a genuine thank you to the three time Pulitzer Prize winner for his substantial contribution to the renaissance of the arts in the 60s and beyond.
RIP
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