Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Three hours with a dysfunctional family might sound more like a preview of Thanksgiving coming attractions than a night on the town. But the Weston clan isn't just any family.
While the fact they're not yours is something to be thankful for, indeed, their hilarious and horrible appeal lies in the way playwright Tracy Letts has used them to explore some of the most compelling questions of the human condition: Why do we inflict our worst damage on those we love? What is there to choose between self-delusion and savage truth? Why is it so hard for us to learn from the past? And as the play quotes T.S. Eliot, if "life is so long," what are the advantages of survival?
1 comment:
August: Osage County is one of my all-time favorite plays. I've only seen one production, so I make assumptions about the play based upon what I saw. Reading about this interpretation is eye-opening. Even though I'm keenly aware that theatre is all about re-invention, I tend to imbibe the play with the qualities of the production(s) I've seen. As a theatre artist, it's important that I keep the definitions of a "play" and a "production," separate. Otherwise the productions that I work on will be stale.
That being said, hopefully I'll be able to find time to see this production.
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