Center Blog

I have been eagerly following Edward Albee’s career since I saw “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” when I was 15. I saw all his Broadway shows in the Sixties and most of his New York productions since. I also attended Mr. Albee’s appearance in the old, pre-renovation Center (at least ten years ago). On that occasion he was surprisingly accessible and that was my overwhelming impression this year as well.

Once ensconced in a chair on stage there was nothing old about this legendary curmudgeon. He was polished, articulate and friendly. Most of his hour plus talk centered on his writing process. He did not discuss any of his 30 plays in depth. He almost never named any other individuals with two exceptions. The late director, Alan Schneider, was praised as was the performance of Mercedes Ruehl as Louise Nevelson in “Occupant”. Mr. Albee apparently gives praise grudgingly and shares credit not at all.

There are very few heroes of mine about whom I am more conflicted. Many of his plays are wonderful works of art, ‘Virginia Woolf’ is an American classic but there is something intimidating about Mr. Albee. While I would kill to have dinner with Stephen Sondheim or Terrence McNally or Lanford Wilson or Harvey Fierstein, Mr. Albee seems more rigid. He is so sure of himself that you feel there is no room for an alternate opinion.

He is especially sensitive to gay questions. At the Center he tried to draw a distinction between “gay writers” and “writers who are gay”. He said he was a “writer who is gay” not a gay writer because he didn’t deal with gay material. I feel this is a distinction without a difference. If you are a writer, and if you are gay, you are a gay writer AND a writer who is gay (by definition). Sometimes gay writers write about gay life and sometimes they don’t. The same for writers who are gay. Mr. Albee is “a writer who is gay” who almost never writes about gay life.

When a member of the audience mentioned how he found the characters in “The Zoo Story” to be cruisy”. Mr Albee said “Oh, there was a lot of cruising in those days”. Then he added “I don’t think either of those characters are gay.” He certainly is entitled to his opinion (after all, he created them), however, it is not a stretch to feel there is a gay subtext to the two characters in that play. Not to Mr. Albee, however.

There is no question that Edward Albee is in the first rank of American playwrights. But you would be hard pressed to call him a gay playwright.

by Tony Marzani

Below is a slideshow from the event.