Pulitzer Prize-winning Drama August: Osage County for Adelaide

In 2007 The New York Times described Tracy Letts’ darkly comedic new play about the strong-willed women of the Weston family as ‘…probably the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years’. The praise for August: Osage County bore fruit, when in 2008 it was awarded many gongs, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Many critics were disappointed with last year’s film adaptation of the play starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, but Adelaide’s audiences now have the chance to see the celebrated and award-winning stage original of August: Osage County when Adelaide Repertory Theatre produces it at the Arts Theatre from June 19-28.

Beverly and Violet Weston live in a run-down house in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Beverley was once a celebrated poet but has now become a full-time drunk. His wife has cancer of the mouth and is addicted to prescription drugs. When Beverly suddenly disappears a family crisis occurs, requiring the Weston daughters, Barbara, Ivy and Karen, to return to the family home.

The Adelaide Repertory Theatre’s production of August: Osage County features highly experienced actors, including professionals who are volunteering their services for this play. The play’s Director, David Sinclair says, ‘The wonderful Nikki Fort (Violet Weston), who has a dedicated following across Adelaide, will be joined by Adam Tuominen, the actor behind the Natural Gas ads and the uber- talented Helen Geoffreys, who will be remembered for her stunning performances in the Rep’s award winning productions of The Beauty Queen of Leenane and Dinner.’

The accomplished cast also includes Brian Knott, Sue Wylie, Tom Carney, Bronwen James, Lisa Lacy, Rodney Hutton, Alan Fitzpatrick, Amanda Adamuszek, Nicholas Bishop and Melissa Esposito.

Speaking of actors, August: Osage County’s playwright, Tracy Letts has an acting history, too, but started out like many young performers, waiting on tables and working as a telemarketer. It was when he moved to Chicago in his early twenties that his career took off. He worked for several years at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Famous Door. In the early 1990’s he wrote the highly successful play Killer Joe and in 2004 another of his plays, Man from Nebraska, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, heralding Letts’ fine future as a playwright. In 2013 Letts was awarded the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, for his interpretation of George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Also in 2013, he was nominated with the rest of the cast of Showtime’s Homeland for a Screen Actors Guild award. Letts is also a successful screenwriter and amongst other screenplays, wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of August: Osage County.

Said famous US anthropologist Margaret Mead, ‘Sisters are probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.’ Not all sisters have a formidable mother high on pain-killers and bitterness, though, so we can only wait to see how Violet Weston’s attempts to set family records straight impact on her daughters in this intense, confronting but darkly funny family drama.

Lesley Reed

Note: Play contains strong language, drug references and smoking.

Bookings: www.adelaiderep.com or 8212 5777.

Dates:

Thursday 19 June – Saturday 28, 2014, 7.30 pm; Sunday June 22, 4 pm.

Venue: The Arts Theatre, 53 Angas Street, Adelaide.

Tickets: Adults $22, Concession $17, Groups of 10+ $15.

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