I recently caught "August: Osage County," which had every possible accolade tossed its way when it opened last winter and is now heavily garlanded and on it's fourth or fifth cast. It's a very good, though not great, play. Playing the pill addled matriarch, Estelle Parsons was the highlight of the night. She's brittle, slightly looney, and thoroughly conniving. At first she was a bit too reminiscent of the mother she played on "Roseanne," but by the end of the first act when she's in a drugged out haze kicking it to "Layla," I'd stopped thinking about the character through the lens of Parsons' previous roles and totally bought her as a mid-western harpy. It was hard to believe that she's over 80 years old. At one point, Parsons jetted up two flights of stairs; a feat she accomplished without appearing visibly winded. Were I to attempt that, I'd be calling for the paramedics.
Heading out to the lobby at intermission, I confronted a puzzling assortment of "August:Osage County" collectibles. If you haven't had your full of the dysfunctional Weston clan after 3 hours and as many acts, don't despair...you can buy a t-shirt! I wonder who on earth would do such a thing? Maybe I'm being too judgmental. After all, it might be the perfect compliment to my "All My Sons" track pants. And I remember how cool all those kids used to look in their "Cats" sweatshirts.
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