It seems to me that I have seen a variety of things lately that have forced me to thing about things differently, question what I believe in and become rather uncomfortable. Edward Albee's "The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" is high on that list.
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| "The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?" |
April 17 to May 15
Milwaukee Reperatory Theater
108 East Wells St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 224-9490
For show times, visit www.milwaukeerep.com |
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The 2002 Tony-award winning play opened on April 17 at the Milwaukee Rep's Steimke Theater.
Briefly, Martin and Stevie Gray have an idealized life: Martin is a middle-aged and prominent architect who just landed a prestigious architectural project and award. Martin and Stevie adore each other, and have an open and mature relationship with their only child, Billy. However, Martin has just made a very important announcement:
He is in love with a goat. A goat named Sylvia.
Naturally, his marriage, his relationship with his wife, son and friends are thrown into upheaval in a dramatic yet funny fashion. Albee's absurdist look at marriage and relationships is meant to make his audiences question their beliefs.
I cannot agree to bestiality to any degree and I have a tough time not vomiting at the thought of some scenes in the play. However, Albee does a fantastic job presenting smart characters on stage who make a sound logical arguments, which result in what my mother — my date for the evening — calls "grey area": their arguments force me to begin to question what I believe in and how I have arrived at those conclusions.
Typically, these questions have been about non-traditional relationships/marriages. I really began to question my beliefs was after seeing the movie "Kinsey." Coming from a background of a typical family set-up (mom and pop are still married after 33 years), I haven't grasped what it must be like to be in a non-traditional relationship. Not so much in the way of divorce because that is more prevalent, but more along the lines of accepting a husband back after an affair, or people who can spend a good portion of the time away from their spouse and make it work. I just don't comprehend it because I expect it to be like the example I have had put in front of me by my parents.
Albee's smart characters and arguments are the redeeming factor of the play; they make it tolerable to watch the yelling and screaming and anguish. I spent a portion of the play just wishing that amid a heated argument I would remember that it is "whom" instead of "who," and to quote famous philosophers and writers in support of my opinions. (Usually, my language is far more Germanic at that point in the spar.) Albee's words are eloquent and that eloquence forced me to forgive the characters, the play, the plot and the goat, and stay put in my seat. His subtle humor and wit is dispersed at just the right moments to make it a bearable.
Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about the Rep's production is the amazing set design. The set takes up more of Steimke Theater than I have ever seen before, and includes both the interior and exterior of the Gray's house. Martin's house reflects his award-winning architectural interests. The set includes built-in bookcases, floor-to-ceiling paned windows and a landscaped back yard.
Albee's other notable plays include "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and several one-act plays including "The Zoo Story" and "The Sandbox."
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