Cocktail Party Fact: The title refers to the English author Virginia Woolf, who descended into depression toward the end of her life and ultimately committed suicide. The husband George taunts his wife Martha by singing it to her.

Here’s The Plot: The play consists of three Acts, each with a subtitle: Act One, Fun And Games; Act Two, Walpurgistnacht; and Act Three, The Exorcism. In a small New England college, a young math professor and his timid wife visit the daughter of the college president, Martha, and her husband George, a longtime faculty member. The evening disintegrates into alcohol fueled recriminations — Martha blames George for being spineless, he upbraids her for being a castrating harridan. One issue is their son: after long moments blaming each other, George finally tells Martha that a telegram arrived informing then that he is dead. When Martha reacts in fury, saying “you can’t do that,” the chilling realization sets in that there is no son — this is only a twisted sad game between two people who seemingly cannot live with or without one another.

Memorable Moment: In Act Three, Martha tries to explain to her now exhausted and drained young guests how her son is the one light in her life while George recites the Latin prayer “libare me” in counterpoint.

Why See It?: If watching two people tear each other emotionally to shreds is your cup of tea, this one’s for you. There’s a lot more than that going on in this tale of a professor and his wife welcoming a young couple into their home and then proceeding to go at each other for what ends up being a highly traumatic evening. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.