August: Osge County 7/2/08 Mat Review

[bwayj102]

Posted: 7/2/08 at 10:54pm

So today I had the great privilege of seeing August: Osage County. Let me start off by saying that the writing alone in this play is strong enough to carry the entire cast. However, that being said, the cast in this play is nothing short of brilliant. There were no understudies when I saw it this afternoon and it seemed like each and every one was spot on. Stand outs for me were Estelle Parsons(who superbly portrayed Violet). I never saw Deanna, so I don't really have anything to compare Estelle to, but I assume they were equally amazing. the performance I enjoyed the most, though, was Amy Morton's. This woman is INCREDIBLE. She delivers such a vivid and real look into Barbara's life, and by the end of Act II (I AM RUNNING THINGS NOW!!!!!!) she gained the top spot in my mind. The play itself was excellently directed and staged, and I just felt that i was witnessing the most hilariously tragic piece of art I have ever seen. I hysterically laughed and I also cried my eyes out for this poor, messed up family. Other standouts included Frank Wood, Molly Ranson, and Sally Murphy. I wasn't wild about Michael McGuire(I could barely understand what he was saying), as well as Molly Regan(I KNOW Rondi Reed was exceptional, but Regan just seemed to be reciting lines. All in all it was an extraordinary experience that I will never forget.