A tour de force display of grief, loss, and the collapse of the most enduring institution – family.
Clocking in at 3.5 hours, Belvoir St Theatre‘s August: Osage County is an epic in every sense of the word. A co-production with Western Australia’s Black Swan Theatre Company, its dissection of a family corrupted by scandal, betrayal and domination is incredibly entertaining. Replete with black comedy and with a stand-out performance from Pamela Rabe, the show overcomes some narrative pacing issues to compellingly close Belvoir’s 2024 season.
August: Osage County tells the demise of the Weston family. The disappearance of patriarch Beverly (John Howard) forces the rest of the clan – his sister-in-law Mattie Fae (Helen Thomson), daughters Barbara (Tamsin Carroll), Ivy (Amy Mathews), and Karen (Anna Samson), and their respective families – to return to the family home in search of him. Complicating this search is the decline of Weston family matriarch Violet (Rabe), who is cancer-ridden, drug-abusing, and erratic. The reveal of Beverly’s whereabouts takes the reunion down a darker road, where the rearrangement of the Weston family hierarchy, exposing of hidden truths, and actions of certain members rip the clan apart.
Tracy Letts‘ script is detailed and clever and is a large reason the show is so good. It gives each of the play’s 13 characters plenty to do and is rarely excessive or overcomplicated – it is easy to follow the many subplots presented. Its dialogue is unflinching and raw, making the Weston family’s arguments so harsh and realistic they are almost hard to watch. Letts balances this harsh nature with consistent dark humour. Though not comic relief, the humour offers some respite from the play’s seriousness while moving the plot forward. And, thankfully, it is damn funny.
The cast take this script and truly bring it to life. They are all acutely aware of what the on stage energy needs to be, and play up the show’s comedic moments, big reveals, and climaxes. The second Act’s climax, when Barbara and Violet fight and the Weston family dynamic completely changes, is particularly powerful. Played to audible gasps and a round of applause, it precedes the play’s second intermission. Despite the show running for two hours at that point, this reviewer has never seen an audience rush back so quickly to their seats for the final Act.
At the same time, the cast allow their individual characters to shine. One can’t help but feel for Carroll‘s Barbara as she tries to hold the family together, or for Mathews‘ Ivy as she relentlessly gets belittled for her middle age, unmarried state, and relationship with cousin Little Charles (Mattie Fae’s son) (Will O’Mahony). It is also easy to hate Samson‘s self-centred Karen and her sleazy, gaslighting fiancé Steve (Rohan Nicol).
Yet, the true standout of the show is Rabe. Her Violet is despotic, devious, aloof, and comical all at once. Every action she takes creates an immense tension in the audience, unsure of what effect it will have. The hold her Violet has over everything in her presence is fantastic. It cannot be missed.
Direction from Eamon Flack is admirable, but brings out the show’s flaws. With set designer Bob Cousins, he has created a good space for the actors to work in. Their movement around the set, which features ledges, windows, doors and hidden spaces, keeps the play from being static. He also clearly understands the pacing of the script too, making the 3.5-hour runtime go quickly. However, this understanding is not always demonstrated. The start of the third Act, succeeding the incredible end of the second, is flat. The energy is lost, taking some time to return. The first Act also takes some time to get going, potentially to build the script’s world clearly but still slightly off-putting nonetheless. This leads to a production that makes the most of its highs, but spends time building up to and recovering from such highs.
Ultimately, August: Osage County is a strong finish for Belvoir. Its engaging performances and thoughtful script make for a fascinating display of disintegration. Though some pacing issues exist, there is lots on offer to make up for it.
