Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tickets
The iconic Edward Albee's play returning to the West End with a stellar cast!Performance dates
22 February to 27 May 2017. Monday to Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinee 2.30pm.
Run time 3 hours including one interval
Includes interval
Top Rated Show
Reviewers highly rate this show
- Show info
- Gallery
- Accessibility
- Reviews
- News
James Macdonald directs a new production of multi Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Edward Albee’s landmark play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
★★★★★ ‘Imelda Staunton at her magnificent best. A first rate revival of an astonishing play. Perfection.’ -- The Guardian, Michael Billington
★★★★★‘ A fierce revival. Conleth Hill is superb. Exquisite.’ - The Evening Standard, Henry Hitchings
★★★★★ ‘James Macdonald’s superlative production. Flawless.’ - The Daily Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish
★★★★★ ‘One of the greatest feats of acting I have witnessed. A brilliant night out.’ - The Independent, Paul Taylor
★★★★★ ‘Intoxicatingly good. James Macdonald’s blistering production. Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill are superb.’ - Financial Times
Starring Olivier and Bafta award-winning actress Imelda Staunton (Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance); Olivier award-winner Conleth Hill (Game Of Thrones, Stones In His Pockets, The Producers); Olivier award-winner Luke Treadaway (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Fortitude, The Hollow Crown) and Imogen Poots, in her West End debut (A Long Way Down, Jane Eyre and Me And Orson Wells).
‘With America currently engaged in its own form of post-truth politics, now seems the perfect time to revive Albee’s enduring masterpiece about the danger of living in a world of illusions.’ -- Michael Billington, The Guardian
‘Albee’s enduring masterpiece about the danger of living in a world of illusions.’ --The Guardian (September 2016)
In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George’s displeasure, has invited the new professor Nick and his wife Honey to their home for some after-party drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple are drawn into George and Martha’s toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling.
Imelda Staunton returns to the West End after her triumphant and Olivier Award-winning performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy. Amongst her many other theatre credits, notable performances include Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, for which she won an Olivier Award, Circle Mirror Transformation for the Royal Court and the role of Claire in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance at the Almeida Theatre. In total, Staunton has been nominated for eleven Olivier Awards, winning four. On film Staunton is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Vera Drake, for which she received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and for the role of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.
Conleth Hill is perhaps best known for his role as Lord Varys in the HBO television production Game of Thrones. A multi award-winning theatre actor, amongst his extensive theatre credits, recent productions include Quartermaine’s Terms at the Wyndham’s Theatre and The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre. Hill won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for The Producers, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and for Stones In His Pockets in the West End. He also received Tony Award nominations for his role in Stones In His Pockets on its transfer to Broadway and The Seafarer, which transferred from the National Theatre to Broadway. Hill’s film credits include Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Whatever Works, directed by Woody Allen
Imogen Poots (Honey) makes her West End debut with Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Poots made her breakthrough performance as Tammy in the film 28 Weeks Later. She won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Look of Love in 2013 and was nominated for Best Actress at the 2015 Evening Standard British Film Awards for her role in Peter Bogdanovich’s She’s Funny That Way. Other film credits include Terrence Mallick’s The Knight of Cups, Green Room, Filth, Jimi: All Is By My Side, A Late Quartet and Jane Eyre. Poots will next be seen starring opposite Michael Shannon in Frank and Lola, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim. On television, she recently played the female lead in Cameron Crowe’s debut television series Roadies (Showtime).
Luke Treadaway (Nick) won an Olivier Award for his performance as Christopher in the internationally acclaimed hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre/ West End) and also originated the role of Albert in the earliest production of War Horse, again at the National. For film, Treadaway plays the lead in the upcoming Sony Pictures release A Street Cat Named Bob, adapted from the New York Times bestselling novel. For television, in January he returns to his role of scientist Vincent Rattrey in the second series of Sky Atlantic’s critically acclaimed Fortitude. His further credits include the lead character of Alex Higgins in BBC’s The Rack Pack, the Duke of Richmond in the second series of The Hollow Crown (BBC/NBC/Neal Street Productions), as well as Sky Arts mini-series The Nightmare World of H.G. Wells with Michael Gambon
Edward Albee was born on March 12th 1928 and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The Death of Bessie Smith (1959), The Sandbox (1959), The American Dream (1960), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), Listening (1975), Counting the Ways (1975), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play about the Baby (1997), The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), Occupant (2001), At Home at the Zoo: Act 1, Homelife. Act 2, The Zoo Story. (2004), and Me, Myself & I (2008). Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980. In 1996 he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. In 2005 he was awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.
You will not find a more star-loaded show this spring so book your tickets while stock lasts!
Please note Thursday 17th May's performance will be part of NT Live and will start at 7pm. You will need to be seated by 6.45pm latest and there will be cameras in the Stalls level and possibly Dress Circle. No latecomers will be admitted.
Special notes
Contains strong language. Contains scenes of sexual nature. Contains strong violent scenes. Please note Thursday 18th May's performance will be part of NT Live and will start at 7pm. You will need to be seated by 6.45pm latest and there will be cameras in the Stalls level and possibly Dress Circle. No latecomers will be admitted.
Recent Reviews
Acting at its finest this kind of theatre doesn,t come along every day. It will blow yo away!! Marvelous, shocking and sad.
Who' Afraid of Virginia Woolf has always been one mine and my wife’s favorite plays. In fact, we know most of the lines by heart as we have seen it so many times. Imogen Poots and Luke Treadaway were magnificent. It's hard to image how they could keep up such intensity for almost three hours.
Actors & actresses were stunning! Amazing production where we started laughing, passed through the deepest humans miseries and ended up open mouths. Congratulations!!! Your play is detailed and well produced and we've really enjoyed our time in the theatre.
I have seen few if any plays with acting as fine - perhaps Rylance in Jerusalem or the people in the Man and Two Masters adaptation.
Incredible performances by all - I felt as though I'd been a guest at the impromptu drinks party and had been left emotionally drained at the end of it all! Spectacular and an absolute must!
Fantastic edgy challenging theatre. Terrific night and very entertaining
The performances are stellar.
Actors were awesome!!!!nice plot but not for 3hour play...I recommend it????
Performance was excellent, but beware the balcony seats in the Harold Pinter theatre which were cramped and very uncomfortable. Not recommended for the claustrophobic and leg room is extremely limited.
Superb acting! It was thrilling to see such tremendous talent. In these performances, I was better able to see and feel the depth and complexities of each character and understand the messages Edward Albee might have been aiming to convey. Just wonderful. Thank you.
We attended this play as novices to the works of Edward Albee, drawn by the lure of both Conleth Hill and Imelda Staunton. On those grounds there was no disappointment. Both were brilliant, particularly Staunton, whose self-obsessed, drunken and vitriolic Martha was compulsive and uncomfortable viewing (the mother of my partner's ex was apparently exactly like Martha!!). I have only given four stars due to the long and drawn out ending, no less impressively acted but, rather like those films that you think are good but could have done with being a half hour shorter. After the 'pause' in the second act the energy built up by the furious and farcical exchanges between the characters just seems to drain away and all for a point that (to us) didn't seem worth making. I'm sure die hard Albee fans would think us Philistines as it was all part of his intentions but, I think a little editing would have left us walking away with a post-play buzz that most of the work infused us with instead of a flat, 'what the hell happened there?' feeling. In short, all credit to the actors, maybe Edward Albee is just not for us?!
A brilliant production. Imelda Staunton outstanding.
Latest Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? News

Reviews / Features
REVIEW: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? " Staunton and Hill are perfection. . ."
Edward Albee’s Tony award-winning play has received a much talked about revival just months after his death in September 2016. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf famously missed out on the Pulitzer Prize for 1963 after the board objected to its sexual references and profanities; this lead to no prize being awarded that year.
3 Apr, 2017 | By Harrison Fuller

Reviews / Features
REVIEW: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? " . . . a must see"
Multi Tony Award playwright Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf plays at The Harold Pinter Theatre until 27 May. However, with Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill tearing through Albee’s heart ripping play, it is a shame that it isn’t playing indefinitely.
22 Mar, 2017 | By Lucy Beirne

Features
Imelda Staunton is back on Stage!
Not once, but twice this year will theatregoers have the chance to witness one of the finest actors ever to tread the boards.
Imelda Staunton will be starring in the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at London's Harold Pinter Theatre. Later on, she will be at the National in a revival of Sondheim’s Follies.
15 Feb, 2017 | By Harrison Fuller

Features
Food and Drink in the Theatre
Imelda Staunton (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) has recently divided opinion by saying she thinks food and drink in the theatre should be banned
20 Dec, 2016 | By Harrison Fuller

News
Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill star in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Sonia Friedman Productions presents Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill in Edward Albee’s landmark play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Harold Pinter Theatre
23 Sep, 2016 | By Tom Stratford
Keep me updated
We'll tell you as soon as tickets go on sale:
Tickets from an authorised retailer
- Full refunds for event cancellations
- Secure booking & payment