TEHRAN – The Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran is playing host to a troupe performing American writer Edward Albee’s play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.

Shirin Farkhondenejad is directing the troupe, which gave its first performance on Monday and will perform the play until May 12.

Renowned director Mikail Shahrestani is collaborating as an advisor to Farkhondenejad, who is staging the play based on a Persian translation by Marjan Razmara.

The play stars Elham Rezai, Ali Keshvari, Delaram Zargar, Shima Zadpur, Meisam Nikkhah and Mehdi Arjmand.

The play is in three acts, published and produced in 1962. 

The action takes place in the living room of a middle-aged couple, George and Martha, who have come home from a faculty party drunk and quarrelsome. 

When Nick, a young biology professor, and his mousy wife, Honey, stop by for a nightcap, they are enlisted as fellow fighters, and the battle begins. A long night of malicious games, insults, humiliations, betrayals, painful confrontations, and savage witticisms ensues. 

The secrets of both couples are laid bare, and illusions are viciously exposed. When, in a climactic moment, George decides to “kill” the son they have invented to compensate for their childlessness, George and Martha finally face the truth and, in a quiet ending to a noisy play, stand together against the world, sharing their sorrow.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” has previously been staged by several other Iranian directors, including Hamidreza Hosseini who directed the play at Tehran’s Divare Chaharom in May and June 2022.

Photo: A poster for Iranian director Shirin Farkhondenejad’s performance of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.
 
MMS/YAW