Producing this show is like saddling a dragon. I caught struggles for lines, most adroitly concealed. The blocking isn't great for performance in the round. There are patrons who won't know what to make of all its profanity, carnality and perma-drunk savagery. What unnerves most, though, is the fact that this drama has no hero or heroine for us to cheer. There's no tragic downfall, as its characters bring misery on themselves. Yet its acting, on all four counts but especially from Deane and Garman, is extraordinary, some of the best we'll see all year.

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in the Music & Culture section.

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 2, Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, $19-$25, 253.588.0042