3 stars (out of 4) By Edward Albee, directed by Dean Gabourie. Until Sept. 29 at the Stratford Festival’s Studio Theatre, 34 George St.
E, Stratford, Ont. or 1-800-567-1600 STRATFORD, ONT. — The world is a much different place today than it was when Edward Albee premiered “The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?” his late career hit that won the 2002 Tony Award for best new play and notoriously prompted angry walkouts from shocked audience members.
Well, it’s a little harder to shock us these days — thanks, doomscrolling! And it’s difficult to imagine anyone walking out of director Dean Gabourie’s handsome, well-acted revival at the Stratford Festival. But Albee’s powerful play still packs a punch. In addition to being a thoughtful meditation on what tragedy and comedy mean in the 21st century, the play is also one of those fascinating shows that gets you thinking “What would I do in this situation?” The setup is deceptively simple.
Architect Martin (Rick Roberts) has a loving family — devoted wife, Stevie (Lucy Peacock), bright son, Billy (Anthony Palermo) — and a thriving career. Within days of turning 50, he’s won a prestigious architecture prize and been chosen to design a $200-billion dream city of the future. To capture these milestones, his long-time friend Ross (Matthew Kabwe) has come over to interview him for a TV program.
Distracted and forgetful, and prodded by a suspicious Ross, Martin confesses that he’s in love with someone named Sylvia, who h.