A review by ste3ve_b1rd
Three Tall Women by Edward Albee

4.0

The two plays of Albee's with which I'm the most familiar are: (1) "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1962); and (2) "A Delicate Balance" (1966). In both cases, I watched the films before having read the plays. Thus, with "Three Tall Women", having never seen the play on stage -- I wondered how well I'd understand the "text on its own" ... From the beginning, as the characters bicker with one another, a kind of cat-and-mouse game develops, albeit imperceptibly -- Eventually, the ugly, brutal truths arrive (this play is bleak!). And this, I realized based upon my previous knowledge of the playwright's work, is the classic Albee formula -- Wherein mundane discussions morph into a blast of harsh reality ... I'm older than both of the characters "B" and "C" -- But younger than character "A". Having lost both of my parents, as of 2020 -- I understand the situation of "A" in a way that I wouldn't have when I was the ages of both "B" and "C". When "Three Tall Women" was first produced in NYC in 1994, my comprehension of this work would have been limited; too heavy for the person that I was in my mid-30's ... In essence: death is beckoning and "A" knows that her time is short. She's reviewing her life and she's complicated: blunt, cruel, difficult and racist. That being said, she shares certain details of her past with an unflinching honesty -- And it's a past that hasn't been all bad; she's had her fun and wild times along the way. In closing: "A" ends up giving "B", and particularly "C", a life lesson, that being: They should remember what's happening to her now -- As time will fly and it won't be long before both "B" and "C" will be staring down their mortality, as well.