August: Osage County
Company: Sydney Theatre Company & Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Venue: The Wharf, Sydney Theatre, Walsh Bay, Sydney
Dates: 17 August – 25 September 2010
It runs in the family
Described as ‘the
most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years’ this
Tony Award Winning epic drama from Steppenwolf Theatre Company will have
audience members at a loss for words. Leaving nothing to the imagination
August: Osage County grips audiences around the neck and drags
them through the most vivid and haunting family reunion that can only
be classified as a royal nightmare.
Playwright
Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize winning family drama first debuted in
Chicago in 2008 to critical acclaim, earning multiple Tony Awards and
not to mention widespread awe and astonishment. The story of the Weston’s
is partially autobiographical, in particular the character of Violet Weston.
Loosely based on his own grandmother, Letts’ Violet sits at the
core of the family unit and, like a volcano waiting to erupt family members
tip-toe around her every move in anticipation of her next outburst, and
to whom it will be directed at. Child molesting, overdosing, smoking weed
and incest are not your usual run of the mill reunion revelations, but
for this Midwestern American family the skeletons are about to come out
of the closet; drugged, doped-up and dangerous.
The play kicks off after the disappearance of the alcoholic family forbearer,
Beverly Weston one Saturday morning in mid August. The extended family
are forced to return to the Oklahoma homestead in an attempt to join hands
during this difficult time. The spectacle that ensues is instead an amalgamation
of intrusive secrets, shocking discoveries and gut-wrenching honesty that
hits family and audience members right between the eyes.
Like a ripe juicy lemon, Violet’s sour tongue is bitter enough to
rattle your every last nerve. Played by Deeana Dunagan, Violet Weston
is a toxic portrayal of a barely lucid woman, stumbling along the road
towards insanity. After being diagnosed with cancer, Violet masks her
pain and anguish through a diet made up of every pain killer and muscle
relaxant known to man, confining her in a blissful coma 24/7 screaming
such obscenities as ‘these blue pills are my best f*** friends!’.
As the alcohol keeps flowing, the cigarettes keep burning and the pill
bottles empty, Violet’s claws dig deeper and deeper with every sway
of her potent tongue.
The eldest of the three daughters Barbara, played by Amy Morton is having
to deal with a marriage break-down, a 14-year-old pot-head for a daughter,
a father who’s M.I.A and a mother who is soon going to require a
straight-jacket; she’s in no mood to play! But play she does once
she encounters the full wrath of Violet. The middle daughter Ivy, played
by Sally Murphy is hiding a secret relationship with her first cousin
‘Little Charles’. If that’s not enough entertainment
for one evening the youngest daughter Karen played by Mariann Mayberry
brings home her fiance Steve (Gary Cole) to meet the family only to discover
a hidden agenda that chilled audiences right down to the bone. Along with
Aunt Mattie Fae (Rondi Reed) and Uncle Charles (Paul Vincent O’Connor)
August: Osage County delivers a hard dose of reality and brutally
examines the knock on effect damaged older generations have on newer generations
Winning one of the play’s 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of
a Play, Anna D. Shapiro does a sensational job with the Steppenwolf gang.
Each scene is presented and timed to perfection, with an authentic current
running through the entire performance along with meticulously directed
ensemble work the shows 3 + hour duration slips by unnoticed. Set designer
Todd Rosenthal creates what looks like the inside of a doll-house on stage,
giving audience members a vivid insight into the inner circle of the Weston
Family. The spacious set works to the actor’s advantage, allowing
the principal scenes to dominate the living and dining room of the house,
whilst less-dominate scenes are comfortably supported by the back kitchen
or side porch.
Deeana Dunagan is sensational. Embracing her character wholeheartedly,
Dunagan is meaner than a snake and just as vicious. Stumbling around the
stage in a dosed-up and dazed fashion, she controls the attention of the
entire audience who cannot help but to gape in speechless astonishment.
Amy Morton deserves honourable mention for her portrayal
of Barbara. I have no idea how Morton managed to meticulously time every
move and breath in the midst of the nail-biting charades that took place
on that stage; but she did it with merit. Not only was her manner convincing
and natural, but she dominated the emotional scenes as well as the comic
ones.
Rondi Reed is hilarious; your typical pushy, overbearing auntie that won’t
let anyone get a word in. Her scenes are forceful and extremely comical;
complimented by Paul Vincent O’Connor heightening the humour on
stage audiences could not get enough of the two. Infecting the air to
even greater levels is Gary Cole. Recognised as playing sweet-tempered
Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch movies, Cole is anything but
sweet in this portrayal of future uncle Steve-the-Sleaze. Handling the
role appears to be an easy task for Cole who looks completely at home
on stage, entertaining audiences with effortless humour.
This spine-tingling production is the perfect antidote for those in the
mood for a black comic extravaganza that takes audiences through the oh
so familiar pit-falls of life and love, whilst adding a little extra zest
along the way. If you only ever attempt to see one show your entire life
I urge it to be August: Osage County.
Haylie Pretorius