Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Love as a Contact Sport

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“What. A. Dump.” Those are the first words Elizabeth Taylor says in the film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Taylor’s Martha is mimicking Bette Davis, but there’s another Davis line just as apt: “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the play by Edward Albee, premiered in 1962 and shocked audiences with its frank portrayal of marriage. The story follows a long, boozy night with George and Martha, a couple living on campus at the college her father runs and where he’s an associate professor. After a party, they invite a new professor, Nick, and his wife Honey to their home for a nightcap, and things go off the rails: Secrets are spilled, trust is betrayed, and an ocean of booze is consumed.

The play was a hit, and four years later Mike Nichols, in his feature debut, brought it to the big screen with Taylor, her real-life husband (twice!) Richard Burton, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis. The film was a smash and it earned 13 Oscar nods, one in every category in which it was eligible.

This month a deliciously detailed new book, Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, explores the creation of the play and the film, delving into the events that inspired the story and the antics that plagued the making of the movie. While Albee’s adoptive parents and married friends may have provided material for his characters, author Philip Gefter knows that Woolf’s staying power also has to do with how we see ourselves in its madness.

“My interest in Woolf goes back to my parents,” Gefter says. “It wasn’t that their marriage was unique. It was like everybody else’s. When I was 15, I saw the film and didn’t really understand it, but I recognized them.”

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remains a must-see because of what made it controversial in its time. George and Martha push each other to the brink, but by sunrise trespasses have been forgiven and they still choose one another. “It’s always going to be relevant,” Gefter says. “People struggle… and that doesn’t change. It’s as relatable today as it was when it came out.”

This story appears in the February 2024 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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