which one is a greater play: Doubt or August Osage County?

Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:51am

Doubt and August Osage County has been generally recognized as the two best American plays in recent years.

Which one of the two do you think is greater?

Please give your answer and opinion here. thanks

[LadyRosecoe]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:53am

I think that The Pillowman was better than Doubt that year, but I think August trumps both of them. I still marvel at how numbing some of it was, in a good way. The performances by the cast as a whole was an example of some really tight teamwork there. I wish the original cast had stayed intact in NY longer.

[Annas_Priest]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:53am

Neither 1!

Le Mizerableous is!!!
Claude!

[Just_John]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 1:53am

Well August is definitely greater in size.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 2:12am

I absolutely loved DOUBT and never got to see THE PILLOWMAN (although I read it and it was brilliant) but I really think AUGUST is the best play, American or otherwise, to hit Broadway in a long, LOOONG time. It's an epic masterpiece.

DOUBT was a minor masterpiece (which isn't anything to sneeze at) and THE PILLOWMAN was beautifully written and probably a notch above DOUBT in terms of "greatness".

[Weez]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:03am

Uh, I'm pretty sure 'The Pillowman' doesn't count as an American play, you guys. :P

Personally, even though I haven't seen it, I'm going with 'August'. I've read 'Doubt', I've seen it performed, I'm looking forward to the movie, but I can't help but feel it's somewhat overrated. You'd need an incredibly strong cast to make it better than "quite good". I dunno. *shrugs* When I see 'August', I'll have a definite answer, but I'm still leaning towards it.

[D2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:11am

No doubt about it. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.

[SgtDonut]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:23am

^ No pun intended.

[D2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:24am

Yes, it was.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:50am

What's Gwen Stefani got to do with it?

[Weez]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:54am

Just... don't speak, stagemanager2. :P

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 8:55am

DOUBT. It was tight, and never lost its focus.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is great, but sometimes (at least to me) loses power and thrust to make room for the latest family disfunction.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 9:00am

AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY was far more interesting, I thought, than DOUBT. AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY's three hours plus flew by, while DOUBTS ninety minutes felt like hours.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 9:09am

Weez: Excuse me, Mr.

[A Grey Spring]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 10:10am

August: Osage County, the best american play since Angels in America.

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 11:14am

Though I think that August is a better play (it's just more impressively crafted), both plays are just filled with wonderful roles for middle aged women, which is a rare thing.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 11:41am

I was very impressed with both. I think Doubt is a tighter, more controlled play than August, but we should all be happy that we've seen the original productions of two great plays in a relatively short period of time.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 11:51am

DOUBT is very good. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is epic.

DOUBT will be remembered as a hit show that took the country by storm for a season or two. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY joins the ranks of other masterpieces, such as A RAISIN IN THE SUN and ANGELS IN AMERICA.

But that's just my opinion on its popularity. Personally, I prefer AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 12:30pm

Even while I am reluctant to compare them, or favor one over the other, I have to go with Doubt on this, and am somewhat surprised to see it dismissed in such a matter-of-fact fashion on this thread.

I enjoyed August for the fun house ride that it is, and found it well acted, directed and designed, tho I think everyone in the press and on the chat boards sure gives that first act a free ride. There are some truly indelible scenes and moments. But in retrospect, some of the twists and turns felt gratuitous, even calculated and manipulative, and some elements of the play even boarder on the hokey. I also felt that the poetry and searing writing that enriches great American dramas of dysfunctional families like Long Day's Journey and Death of a Salesman (plays that August has been compared to) is just absent here. I started to wonder why I was spending so much time with the Weston family, even while I enjoyed myself. I admired the play's balance - particularly the way the curtain lines for Violet in Act One and Act Three refer to each other, but the way an author's voice can reach out and directly speak to you just never happened for me at August.

Doubt, by comparison, I felt packed a lot into 90 minutes. It was lean and compact, without a wasted word or moment. It also worked on two levels for me: first, as the theatrical melodrama it is on the surface. It's a great vehicle for all four actors. But the phrase, "A Parable" is an important one, and I think what Shanley is saying about the state of moral certainty in this country at this time of our lives is and continues to be incisive. In politics, the press continues to flagellate any candidate or representative who dares to "flip flop" on an issue. To question, or to express concern or reservations is seen in this country as a sign of weakness, instead of the hallmark of a free thinker. For me, that was what Shanley was writing about, more than the case of whether Father Flynn was actually guilty or not. As the Iraq War continues to rage on, and our leaders in hindsight try to distance themselves from the collected intelligence that got us into it, I think the issue of expressing doubt, raised by Shanley's play, remains even more vital and pertinent, rather than just fodder for a hit show that captivated Broadway and the regionals for a season or two, as suggested above.

[Ryan4]

Posted: 6/23/08 at 4:34pm

"August" is the more obvious choice b/c of its size, its misery, its rage...and gets bonus points for reviving a dead genre with a contemporary flair.

But I will say this for "Doubt"...I think every word in it is perfect. It's so focused, sharp, honest. It may not have the structural hallmarks of greatness that "August" does but it's a great play nevertheless.