Original production
The print edition of the play was published in 1962 and was one of the early releases of Atheneum Books. It sold over 70,000 copies in hard and soft cover editions.[14]
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theatre on 13 October 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey, and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider. Subsequent cast members included Henderson Forsythe, Eileen Fulton, Nancy Kelly, Mercedes McCambridge, and Elaine Stritch.
Because of the play's unusual length (over three hours), the producers also cast a matinee company that performed twice a week, featuring Kate Reid as Martha, Shepperd Strudwick as George, Avra Petrides as Honey, and Bill Berger as Nick.[15] As with the evening company, these matinee performances also sold out.[13]
The play closed on 16 May 1964, after 5 previews and 664 performances.[16] It opened in London in 1965, starring Constance Cummings. Virginia Woolf's widower Leonard attended a performance and enjoyed it, according to an acquaintance of his, literary critic Leon Edel.[9]
Original Broadway cast album
In 1963, Columbia Masterworks released a four-LP boxed recording of the original Broadway cast performing the entire play, directed by Alan Schneider.
The release contained a 16 page booklet with photos from the original production, critical essays by Harold Clurman and Walter Kerr, cast and crew biographies, and a short article by Goddard Lieberson on the task of recording the play. The introduction is by Albee, in which he writes, "I cannot conceive of anyone wanting to buy [this] massive album; but ... every playwright wants as much permanence for his work as he can get."
The recording was issued in both stereo (DOS 687) and monaural (DOL 287) formats. It was out of print for many years, was not released in other formats, and is highly prized among collectors, as a play with such adult themes had never been recorded for the general public before. It was finally re-released in 2014 by Masterworks Broadway.[17]
Notable productions
In 1970, Henry Fonda and Richard Burton attempted to recruit Warren Beatty and Jon Voight for an all-male production, but Albee refused permission.[18]
Colleen Dewhurst and Ben Gazzara starred in a 1976 Broadway revival.
Mike Nichols and Elaine May starred in a 1980 production in New Haven.
Diana Rigg and David Suchet starred in a 1996 production of the play at the Almeida Theatre in London before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End in 1997.
Patrick Stewart and Mercedes Ruehl starred in a 2000–2001 production at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.
The play was revived on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre, opening on 12 March 2005, in previews and closing on 4 September 2005, after 8 previews and 177 performances. Directed by Anthony Page, it starred Kathleen Turner as Martha and Bill Irwin as George, with Mireille Enos as Honey and David Harbour as Nick. Irwin won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role.[19] The production transferred to London's West End at the Apollo Theatre with the entire original cast, running from 31 January to 13 May 2006.[20] In January 2007, the production played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for one month. On 6 February 2007, the production began a six-week run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
Notably, it was this 2005 production that led to the publication of a revised script – one that has been used ever since – although many of its revisions were introduced in earlier productions. Among the revisions was the removal of early references to George and Martha's son, as well as the reference to the fact that George felt that he helped cause his parents' death, which was originally the subject of his failed novel. A roughly 7 page scene with George and Honey at the end of Act II has also been removed completely. These and other changes seem to be there to clarify plot points, but arguably rob the play of some of its ambiguity and tenuous relationship with realism.
The play toured in the US and played in San Francisco at the Golden Gate Theatre from 11 April – 12 May 2007.
On 12 December 2010, the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago began performances of the play featuring Amy Morton as Martha, Tracy Letts (the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of August: Osage County)[21] as George, Carrie Coon, and Madison Dirks. The production was directed by Pam MacKinnon, who previously directed the premieres of Albee's Peter and Jerry and Occupant. This production began previews on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on 27 September 2012, opening on 13 October, 50 years after the original Broadway opening.[22][23] MacKinnon again directed, with the Steppenwolf cast reprising their roles. The production and cast received praise in The New York Times from reviewer Charles Isherwood.[24] Letts won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.[25]
Meg Tilly returned to acting in 2011 to play Martha in a production by Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre.[26][27] The show ran from 5 July – 17 July 2011, in Victoria, British Columbia.
On 21 February 2017, a production directed by James Macdonald began at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London, featuring Imelda Staunton, Conleth Hill, Imogen Poots, and Luke Treadaway.[28][29] It ran until 27 May 2017.
A Broadway revival was scheduled to premiere on 9 April 2020, in a production directed by Joe Mantello and produced by Scott Rudin. It was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after 9 preview performances, without officially opening.[30] It starred Laurie Metcalf, Rupert Everett, Russell Tovey, and Patsy Ferran.[31] Eddie Izzard had been set to play George, but it was announced on 11 September 2019, that Everett would replace her.[32]
Dance interpretation
In 1995 and 1996, the Canadian One Yellow Rabbit troupe mounted a homage in dance to Albee, Permission, in the form of an hour-long ballet inspired by Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. It was performed in Calgary, Toronto, Phoenix, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.[33]
