SPOILER ALERT : This article reveals crucial contents of the play.
Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? has much in common with the bumblebee. The bumblebee’s less-than-aerodynamic design should prevent its flight, yet fly it does. One might think “The Goat,” offensive by design, would simply up and tank, but this goat not only flies, it soars in the Road Less Traveled’s new production, which opened Friday.
I had the good fortune to see a preview/technical rehearsal of The Goat late last week.
The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? has never been produced in Buffalo before. Albee’s 2002 work, created for maximum shock and awe, was initially panned by some who may have been overwhelmed by the subject matter. Subsequent viewings and changes in the original New York cast — actress Sally Field replaced Mercedes Ruehl — allowed for a little distance and perhaps a better appreciation of the play’s excellent construction; crackling dialogue; and characters, who, in their odd ways, turn out to be rather sympathetic.
The story involves Martin, a superstar architect who is turning 50 and has just been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize for architecture. His lovely wife of two decades, Stevie, in an iconic and ironic moment, arranges flowers in their tasteful suburban living room as the couple await Martin’s best friend, Russ, who wants to video-tape a TV interview with Martin about the award.
Martin is an easygoing sort but appears somewhat befuddled and forgetful in a Jimmy Stewart kind of way. Stevie is concerned about Martin’s distraction but not overly so. Maybe he should see his doctor. Their conversation is warm and bouncy, with only the slightest hint of the storm on the horizon.
Enter Russ; exit Stevie. Russ is less tolerant of Martin’s evasive behavior. He suspects an affair. Finally, the truth comes out. Who is Sylvia ? Well, she’s a goat. A real goat. Sylvia is not a pretend or proverbial goat but a slam-bam-thank-you-ram real goat.
This is the point in the play where one might cue the bumblebee to drop dead.
However, that is not the case. As Martin struggles to explain the unexplainable, first to Russ and later to Stevie, Albee taps deeply into the psyche of human love and betrayal. As with watching a good train wreck, one cannot turn away. The transformation of the familiar, settled married couple into wounded, raging beings is compelling, a metamorphosis Franz Kafka could love.
The lead roles are played by John Fredo and Maggie Zindle. Both are best known for their musical/comedy skills. Fredo just completed a critically acclaimed run of Falsettos at MusicalFare Theatre, and Zindle, who has graced the Kavinoky Theatre’s stage as the siren Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha, is now admired for her fiddle playing talents as “Miss Maggie Mae” with the popular local band The Skiffle Minstrels.
If the play works, it’s because the actors, under Derek Campbell’s skillful direction, never really allow Martin’s shocking, almost unbelievable proclivity to overwhelm their own very real and believable understanding of love and betrayal. It transcends the more lurid aspects of the piece, but is also propelled by it.
Zindle explains her approach. “I do feel grounded in this role. I feel Stevie’s basic instinct arises from betrayal, and I, as many have, have experienced that in my life. I think that is why it rings true. The other woman being of the hircine persuasion — well that took a little more thought. ”
As for establishing audience rapport, Zindle believes that the all of the characters are pretty sympathetic. “Every woman will understand Stevie’s plight to a point.” And she believes most men will have some understanding of Martin’s behavior “to a point.”
She faces the controversial aspect head-on. “Of course, some will be revolted and may leave the theater. Again, once the beast rears her ugly head, I guess, that is where our real job begins. We have to make it possible for the audience to relate to the subject matter in some way. It’s definitely going to resonate!”
A real trouper who relishes a battle, Zindle appreciates the quality of the play. “I was excited to take on the challenge of a really good playwright. I’ve done bad bizarre, and now I’m doing good bizarre. And there is a difference no doubt. “
Fredo agrees. “In regards to choosing this piece, I’m always up for something new and different. The language is amazing, and the experience pulls my head and heart in so many different directions that when I land, I know I will be better for it personally and artistically.”
Albee’s dialogue is amazing. If all married couples could spar so artfully, they’d do nothing but bicker. The Goat shares this tradition of marital dysfunction with the author’s best-known work, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? which, in its time, was also very controversial.
I recently saw the film version of …Virginia Woolf on TV again. It is a terrific film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in prime scenery-chewing form. Once one gets over the voyeuristic “The Battling Burtons at home” aspect, the movie and the script still hold up very well, with some really wincing barbs. There was a solid local production at the Irish Classical Theatre a few seasons ago and, many years ago, a wonderful production with Saul Elkin and Lorna Hill at Ujima Theatre. As always, the actors’ chemistry is the key, and so it is here between Fredo and Zindle.
Fifty years later, even by today’s rough trade standards of entertainment, …Virginia Woolf remains sharp; however, one wonders what the objection to this play could have been. It was actually denied the Pulitzer Prize because it was thought to be too controversial. One must strain to see the Woolf controversy now, but 1962 was another time and place.
The Goat, on the other hand, is the Real McCoy in any time or place. I have no doubt that before Act One is over, there will be some patrons sailing through the Market Arcade lobby full speed in reverse.
Does The Goat go a taboo too far? Perhaps. Nevertheless, director Derek Campbell sees the most controversial aspects Albee’s play as a means to an end, not dismissively but as a way to examine how tragedy, any tragedy, transforms the participants. Albee’s modus operandi is to stir things up. Campbell quotes Albee. “Each play is an act of aggression against the status quo.” There’s little doubt about that here.
Not to pass judgment, after all, people do skip out during intermission for all kinds of reasons, but one hopes not many people will bolt The Goat. To be sure, there is a distinct “E-e-e-e-w factor,” but once the premise has settled in, this appealing cast and the small, intimate theater itself make the production very accessible and allow the play, finally, to be worth the effort.
This may just be one of those opportunities to see a rare play in a nearly perfect venue.
There can be little doubt that the close space enhances the action, and director Campbell opined that if presented in a much larger theater, The Goat could lose a great deal of its impact. Road Less Traveled founder/producer Scott Behrend agrees that much of the more graphic action would not read well in a bigger house.
And there’s the rub. Every theater must balance its season between the artistic mission and commercial realities. A smaller theater such as Road Less Traveled, however, is often living closer to the edge and thus may actually take the bigger risk with a controversial play such as The Goat. Behrend said, “I could certainly understand how smaller theaters could be very afraid of turning people off, but I think it’s the job of the small theaters to do this work.”
Still, o
ne wonders why, with a vast array of possibilities, Scott Behrend, a successful and very clever producer, chose such a hot potato. At least part of the answer is that author himself will come to Buffalo see this production. Behrend said, “Although there are certainly clear challenges to this play which would preclude larger and smaller theaters from producing this show, I saw this as an opportunity.
“As RLT’s relationship with Mr. Albee developed, it might have been easy to pick an easier one of his plays,” he continued. “But I figured since we would have the opportunity of an Albee visit, that The Goat, being the most “difficult” of his plays, was indeed the perfect choice. ”
That it had never been produced here added to the appeal. Also, Behrend has great faith in his audience. “It’s a piece that our RLTP base would grapple with and perhaps even embrace. We have never been afraid of the tough stuff, and I think we further that idea in miles with this piece.”
Ultimately, the play is the thing. “The play is so well-crafted,” said Behrend. “It’s perhaps Albee’s best writing. The more I see it, the more I’m convinced that he is at his best here.”
The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?
April 23 – May 22
Road Less Traveled Theatre
Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre
639 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
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Neil Garvey, attorney/actor/writer, is a native East Auroran and 30
year resident of Buffalo’s Elmwood neighborhood. Long involved in the
cultural & civic life of Buffalo, he has served on several theaters
& civic boards, including the Delaware Park Steering Committee. The
first board chair of Shakespeare in Delaware Park, he served as the
company’s first CEO and appeared in or produced some 25 Shakespeare
plays. Stage credits include Shea’s, Studio Arena, The Kavinoky, The
Irish Classical, Road Less Traveled, and played Santa Claus for the BPO
Holiday Pops for the past eight seasons.