Cocktails with George and Martha
Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
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Cocktails with George and Martha
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Narrated by:
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Alexa Morden
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Written by:
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Philip Gefter
About this listen
"Very smart and entertaining . . . dishy-yet-earnest . . . Gefter shows why Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? hit the ‘60s like a torpedo."—NPR, Fresh Air
“Raucous, unpredictable, wild, and affecting.”—Entertainment Weekly
An award-winning writer reveals the behind-the-scenes story of the provocative play, the groundbreaking film it became, and how two iconic stars changed the image of marriage forever.
From its debut in 1962, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was a wild success and a cultural lightning rod. The play transpires over one long, boozy night, laying bare the lies, compromises, and scalding love that have sustained a middle-aged couple through decades of marriage. It scandalized critics but magnetized audiences. Across 644 sold-out Broadway performances, the drama demolished the wall between what could and couldn’t be said on the American stage and marked a definitive end to the I Love Lucy 1950s.
Then, Hollywood took a colossal gamble on Albee’s sophisticated play—and won. Costarring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the sensational 1966 film minted first-time director Mike Nichols as industry royalty and won five Oscars. How this scorching play became a movie classic—surviving censorship attempts, its director’s inexperience, and its stars’ own tumultuous marriage—is one of the most riveting stories in all of cinema.
Now, acclaimed author Philip Gefter tells that story in full for the first time, tracing Woolf from its hushed origins in Greenwich Village’s bohemian enclave, through its tormented production process, to its explosion onto screens across America and a permanent place in the canon of cinematic marriages. This deliciously entertaining book explores how two couples—one fictional, one all too real—forced a nation to confront its most deeply held myths about relationships, sex, family, and, against all odds, love.©2024 Philip Gefter (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
What listeners say about Cocktails with George and Martha
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- smcdonaldpoet
- 2024-12-19
Fascinating stories, especially about the making of the film.
Mispronounced words and names as well as some factual errors such as stating that when Elizabeth Taylor was married to Mike Todd she gave birth to her third son but it wasn’t a son but a daughter: Liza Todd. Also, and this is just a personal preference, I think a male reader would have been better.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-12-02
Fascinating!
What a brilliant depiction and deep dive into the making of a masterpiece. So fascinating to learn about Albee himself, the making of the play and film and adaptation, and the many ways in which this work of art has impacted and inspired so many other artistic explorations about marriage. Loved it.
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