Cast Of Controversial Play Arrives In City

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30593, 9 November 1964, Page 1

Cast Of Controversial Play Arrives In City

The cast of Edward Albee’s Broadway hit, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” arrived at Christchurch Airport yesterday with what they described as a built-in controversy.

They did not have to make the controversy, said the stars; it cloaked them everywhere they went in New Zealand and Australia.

“Sex does head its ugly rear in the play,” said the male star, Alexander Hay. Reporter: How much sex? Mr Hay: There is a little bit of sex in it. Everyone puts their own interpretations.

“I think the author uses shock tactics to make people sit up in their seats and listen.” said Mr Hay. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” will begin its eightday Christchurch season at 7.45 p.m. today. The show manager, Mr Will Thompson, said no-one would be shown to a seat after the play began. It runs for 3 hours 20 , minutes.

“Of course, some people walk out during the show,” said Mr Thompson. “But we don’t expect trouble in Christchurch with the police.” Mr Thompson said he had heard that Christchurch audiences were marvellous but sometimes pious. “Anyone interested in life should see this play; but not the ‘ostriches’ or ‘vegetables,’ not the people who put their heads in the sand,” said Mr Thompson. Jacqueline Kott, who plays the role of Martha in the Old Tote Company’s production of the play, said the play did have “a bit of blasphemy.” “A bit of language is used,” she said. "Some of the characters just use blasphemy as a matter of course.” But the use of blasphemy in the play, she said, did not make it indecent. “People commit murders in plays but people don’t stop going to see the plays because there are murders in it,” she said. The four stars of the play. Miss Kott, Alex Hay, Kevin Miles and Joan Morrow, posed at Harewood for a photograph.

“We call this cosy togetherness,” said Mr Miles as he put his arm round Miss Kott's waist “That’s my hips,” said Miss Kott. “Bones,” said Mr Miles. “Thank you,” said Miss Kott. “You can say,” said Miss Kott, admonishing the reporter with a forefinger, “that I think there is too much emphasis given to the sex aspect of this play. “As for this talk about the play being a ‘dazzling sex war,’ I don’t know what a ‘sex war’ means. “It happens between a man and a woman. That is the only reason for calling it a sex war.” “We are so tired when we finish an evening performance that we never give matinees,” said Mr Hay. So far in New Zealand, “Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” has been performed in Auckland and Wellington. Compared with Sydney audiences, Mr Thompson found Auckland audiences of the “surface” type. Wellington audiences were intelligent and more discerning than Auckland's.