Written by Tracy
Letts
Directed by Cate Clelland
Free Rain Theatre
Courtyard Studio Canberra
Theatre Centre
17 October – 2 November, 2014
Review by Len Power 17 October 2014
Most
of us can remember times when our own families went through rough patches
emotionally. If we thought we had
problems, they were nowhere near as monumental as those of the Weston family
portrayed in Tracy Letts’ award-winning 2008 play, ‘August: Osage County’.
A
black comedy on an epic scale, the play shows us the interaction of an Oklahoma
family both before and after the death of a family member. The director, Cate Clelland, and her large
cast of performers take us on a rollercoaster ride through every human emotion
that is fascinating, harrowing, moving, very funny and ultimately hugely
enjoyable.
Every
member of the cast of thirteen more than meets the considerable challenges of
this play. Karen Vickery and Andrea
Close as mother and daughter have the lions’ share of the dialogue and both
give performances that will leave you breathless. Jim Adamik, Liz Bradley, Lainie Hart and
Karen Weston are especially memorable but everyone has their moment to shine.
The
action of the play takes place in various rooms of a rambling old house. Set designer, Cate Clelland, has cleverly
used the wide space in the Courtyard Studio to create an ‘ant farm’ like
environment so that we can see simultaneous action in various rooms as
required. The show is nicely lit by
Hamish McConchie with well-chosen costumes by Fiona Leach and enhanced by the
subtle sound design by Tracey Rice.
Cate
Clelland has directed one of her best shows ever. This is an excellent production of an
extraordinary play.
Originally published
in Canberra City News digital edition 18 October 2014