August

When the patriarch of a rural Oklahoma clan goes missing, his three adult daughters and their families gather round to support their mother, who is addicted to prescription painkillers. In doing so, they dredge up all kinds of mischief from the past and present. Drawing from the original 2008 Tony Award-winning cast--including Deanna Dunagan (Best Leading Actress), Jeff Perry (from TV's "Scandal"), and Steppenwolf Theatre favorite Rondi Reed--this live-performance audio adaptation combines the intensity of Tennessee Williams with the pace and timing of the best in television comedy. The audience laughter is real and heartfelt as the cast members find the humor and nuance in every taboo subject--from drugs to adultery to divorce. Outrageously funny, foul (adult language), and touching. B.P. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

February 2, 2015
With a keen ear for the Southern drawl, this sharply written play gets a stellar presentation by L.A. Theatre Works. Set over the course of several weeks, the play follows the Weston family as they are pulled back to their Oklahoma homestead in the wake of a tragedy. With uncontrolled ferocity, this dysfunctional family proceeds to bicker and battle, belittle and besmirch each other with every emotional weapon in their considerable armory. At its heart is Momma Violet, played to shrewish perfection by Deanna Dunagan: her drug-induced, nonstop vitriolic pronouncements and revelations are alternately painful and hilarious in their delivery, and the reactions and interactions of the excellent cast are just as well developed and delivered. Robert Pine, as patriarch Beverly Weston, practically steals the show in the opening sceneâwhich is a touching and laugh-out-loud performance, perfectly delivered and totally indicative of the richly textured performances of the tragic comedy that follows.

Starred review from February 15, 2015

Letts's razor-sharp tragicomedy was the winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that same year. This full-cast production was recorded before a live audience and features members of the premier cast from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre as well as members of the Broadway production including Deanna Dunagan and Rondi Reed. Set over the course of several sweltering August weeks at the Pawhuska, OK, home of Beverly and Violet Weston, the play depicts a family that is dysfunctional almost beyond belief. Substance abuse, incest, and suicide are just a few of the issues facing the Westons. When patriarch Beverly, a somewhat famous poet who could never finish his second book, goes missing, the Weston children and their families reluctantly trudge home to support Beverly's prescription drug-addicted, cancer-stricken wife, Violet. VERDICT All libraries collecting dramatic productions will likely want this tightly constructed, bitingly funny dark comedy, but should note the caveat that it features very mature themes and much profanity.--Beth Farrell, Cleveland State Univ. Law Lib.

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