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August: Osage County
Presented by:
Melbourne Theatre Company
Venue:
The Arts Centre, Playhouse
Reviewer:
Adam Rafferty
Date
Reviewed:
Thursday 28 May,
2009
Last
year August: Osage County picked up all the major theatre
awards for its Broadway run, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama,
so it’s with a high level of expectation that MTC’s production hits
the Playhouse stage this winter. Thankfully, it seems little has
been lost in its Australian translation.
Tracy
Letts’ epic three-act play tells the darkly comic story of the
dysfunctional Weston family; Oklahoma natives drawn back home when
their whiskey-loving patriarch goes missing. None of the three adult
children of the Weston family – Barbara, Ivy and Karen – are overly
enthusiastic about spending time with their mother, but whether this
is due to the pill addiction she’s cultivated through contracting
mouth cancer or simply the acid tongue she lashes out with in her
moments of lucidity, it’s hard to tell.
Robyn
Nevin’s performance as matriarch Violet is truly awe-inspiring. This
role offers the opportunity for a real star-turn through the woman’s
deliciously cutting bons mots, (and Nevin delivers each superbly)
however the fact that Violet is drug-addled for all but a few scenes
of clarity means this character is extremely hard to carry off
without appearing to be a pantomime drunkard. This is never the case
for Nevin though; she is thoroughly convincing throughout every
moment of Violet’s medically induced fog and remains faithful when
finding her way out of the miasma to deliver a stinging remark or
deflating observation to her extended family; she doesn’t falter in
her authenticity. Nevin makes the role of Violet her own and leads
the cast with style.
As
Violet’s put upon oldest daughter Barbara, Jane Menelaus gives a
steely and assured portrayal. Barbara’s husband is cheating on her
and her daughter is experimenting in ways that she hasn’t the
maturity to handle; neither of which are issues Barbara has the
strength to deal with under the pressure of coping with the results
of her father’s disappearance while being berated by her accusatory
and controlling mother. Menelaus’ sense of tension and defeat are
excellent, accurately portraying a woman who is fighting battles she
feels she has already lost. The strength and conviction of her
performance help drive this behemoth of a story through to its
conclusion.
Heidi
Arena bursts onto stage in Act Two as the bubbly and self-interested
sister Karen, creating a wonderful contrast with the exhausted
Barbara and their quiet sister with a secret, Ivy. Rebekah Stone as
Ivy comes into her own in the second act, as revelations are
revealed, and the three women play beautifully off each other when
they come together after getting their mother under control.
A
woman with such insidious methods of manipulation as Violet is never
going to be easy to control though and it’s not long before she’s
using the knowledge she’s long kept to herself to gain her way.
At
the end of the day, August: Osage County is a play that has
been written to create work for an ensemble of actors - the
Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, of which Letts is a member.
This has allowed the more basic story of Violet and her relationship
with her daughters to be demonstrated within the context of the
entire extended Weston family, including Violet’s sister, Mattie Fae
Aiken (played by Deidre Rubenstein) and her family. The richness
that this adds to the tale is undeniable and provides some
interesting sub-plots, but in the end creates an uneconomical script
that is longer and more convoluted than it really needs to be.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but one wonders if the crux of
the story was retained and the extraneous plots and characters were
removed, if the tale would be any less affecting? That being said,
while the first act takes a bit to kick into gear, once Act Two’s
fateful family dinner takes place the audience is hooked and it’s no
chore to return for the third act with its bitter, yet ultimately
satisfying ending.
Through this structure, there are many thankless roles in the
ensemble but of these George Whaley, as Violet’s husband Beverly,
sets up the story well; Tess Masters, as the Native American carer
and housekeeper Johnna, brings warm subtlety to the bewilderment of
an outsider caught up in this mess through necessity; Kellie Jones,
as Barbara’s louche daughter Jean, brings real believability to the
innocence and naivety of a girl growing up too fast; Michael
Robinson as Mattie Fae’s son Little Charles and co-conspirator in
secret with Ivy, brings perfect nerdy balance to the loser who’s
found his purpose; and Roger Oakley, as Mattie Fae’s husband
Charles, brings wonderful male energy to create an uncle anyone
could recognise through beautifully timed comedy and brilliant
strength in the final act. Rubenstein seems to have decided that
Mattie Fae is a direct descendent of her character in last year’s
MTC production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and channels Big Mama
throughout, blurring the line between playing ‘annoying’ and being
annoying. Only when revelations occur in the final act does she
begin to redeem herself.
Note
must be made of Dale Ferguson’s stunning three-storey set design
which blows you away from the first moment you enter the theatre.
With legitimate full-scale rooms on the upper floors, playing space
on the stage is manifold and allows the audience to witness what’s
going on with numerous members of the family throughout the house at
once. The only minor issue with this is that sometimes directionally
this creates distraction from the real action, but it’s a delight
for those that enjoy realism and immersion in their theatre.
Director (and MTC Artistic Director) Simon Phillips has made an
excellent choice in bringing this superb piece of writing to
Melbourne with the casting of Niven being a masterstroke. The
measured pace of the first act could be tightened somewhat, but the
life that buzzes throughout Acts Two and Three demonstrates
Phillips’ intelligent management of his cast through a significant
piece of work.
A
three-act play running for three hours and twenty minutes (including
intervals) could be a burden on its audiences, but August: Osage
County is certainly not. This spectacular piece of work is worth
every minute and should at least be rewarded with full houses; if
not the same award night accolades its New York cousin has earned.
Don’t miss it.
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