Tragic Comedy - August: Osage County
Opens March at The Fox-Stars Academy Award Winner Estelle Parsons
By Suzanne Corbett
Dysfunctional families. Most of us know such a family or may in fact belong to one that is reason enough to consider seriously a closer look at the Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County.
August: Osage County is a gripping play, telling the story of the Westons; a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead after the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and secrets, the family must also contend with Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of the storm.
Academy Award winning actress Estelle Parsons plays Violet. “Estelle is remarkable,” said Tracy Lett’s, August’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright. “She’s absolutely sincere in her belief in what she’s doing and in her recall of emotional states. She’s really scary in the role because she’s living it. You can’t ask for anything more than that from an actor.”
Aside from Parsons acting skills, audiences have also marveled at the seeming effortlessness with which Parsons, born November 20, 1927, navigates a total of 352 steps during the course of the three-hour, 20 minute play.
In a recent interview when Parsons was asked how she stays in shade she said, “I’ve been very physically active all my life. Dance lessons, running hiking. I run or swim or go to the gym every day, and also do yoga. I started doing weights when I got into my 60s, and have had a lot of trainers. When you get older, your strength dissipates very quickly. It probably starts in your 60’s, but when you get in your 70s, if you don’t walk a mile for a couple of weeks, pretty soon it’s hard work to walk a mile. So I’ve always kept up with it, not because I thought it would be particularly helpful in my work – though I do think actors should be extraordinarily self aware physically – I just can’t help myself. My husband is like that too. That’s our lifestyle, which came in handy when I started this show.”
An ensemble cast that includes Shannon Cochran as Barbara Fordham, Jon DeVries as Beverly Weston, Libby George as Mattie Fae Aiken, Stephen Riley Key as Little Charles, Emily Kinney as Jean Fordham, Laurence Lau as Steve Heidebrecht and Marcus Nelson as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau joins parsons.
Nominated for seven Tony Awards and winning five, including Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Director, along with Drama Desk, August: Osage County is a rare theatrical event: a large- scale work filled with 13 unforgettable characters, a powerful tragicomedy told with bold honesty and the unforgettable performances. And is a show for mature audiences. It does contain adult themes, sexual situations and dialogue, explicit language and smoking & alcohol use.
August: Osage County will play the Fabulous Fox Theatre March 2 thru14. Performances are Tuesday thru Saturday evenings, 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 2pm; and Sunday March 7 at 7:30pm along with a weekday matinee on Thursday, March 11 at 1pm. Tickets are available at the Fox Theatre box office, all MetroTix outlets, online at www.metrotix.com or by phone at 314-534-1111.