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August: Osage County Reviews
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| 1 |
Great show Review by: theater junkie, Apr 18, 2009 |
| FANTASTIC.....even though the third act got a little too prime-time soap opera-ish for me.....the acting was superb. It felt like I was witnessing an actual family melt-down. Don't think you are walking into a night of no comedy though......there are some zingers in this show that will be quoted for some time to come. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 2 |
Amazing Show! Just know what to expect Review by: DP, Mar 14, 2009 |
| Very interesting, well thought out play! Great acting and very funny! Lots of cursing so expect it- but it really makes it real and flat out hilarious. I was laughing the entire time! The play just flew by even though it was over 3 hours! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
Business Assoc., Adults
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| 3 |
Review by: , Mar 6, 2009 |
| Brillianst show. The piece is over 3 hours long, and I left feeling I was just getting to know the family, and I wanted MORE! Absoultely stunnnig stroy. It's the new Death of a Salesman! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Adults
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| 4 |
matriarchs night out Review by: estyr, Feb 17, 2009 |
| August: Osage County seethed with undercurrents of the pitfalls of human nature. It was an ascerbic night out, loved it. Like the guy in front of us at intermission said, why are all the women here loving this show, while the guys sit cringing? Maybe it is a strong woman's voice heard, but it's a voice clean and honest. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Family
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Recommended for:
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| 5 |
Great show, weeks later the show stayed with me Review by: purly gurl, Jan 1, 2009 |
| This show was great,full of passion, really makes you think and feel, incredible acting, weeks later it's still on my mind |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 6 |
Osage County? Review by: Jason, Nov 9, 2008 |
The title should be August: Upper West Side, New York County. The characters, most of whom do not even attempt Oklahoma drawls, spew expletives like teenagers who have just discovered swear words and -- apparent to those who have lived between the coasts -- completely out of character for folks--even bad folks -- in the heartland. The swearing is a frequent filler for dialog that bombards the audience with three hours of relentless, highly ... read more personal, intrafamily insults. One wonders how members of this family would still be speaking to one another by the time of the play.
The plot is Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf on steriods. Drug addiction, alcoholism, incest, pedophilia,and infidelity combined with raging, cut your heart out, "I've never loved you!" insults that would best be left on the pyschiatrist's couch.
This play transports you nowhere, it stimulates no new thought, and provokes no examination of anything in one's own life. By its end, it leaves one with nothing -- except a sense of relief. As one nearby member of the audience commented on leaving, "Now, I don't feel so bad about my own family." |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 7 |
A very enjoyable performance with some talented actors. Review by: Renee, Nov 1, 2008 |
| I really wasn't sure what to expect when I saw this play. I was very pleasantly surprised and found it amusing while being about serious subjects. Some of the acting was great, but it could have been blocked better. But Estelle Parsons was worth the trip. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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I saw this show with:
Business Associate
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Recommended for:
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| 8 |
A Show For People Who Love Performers Review by: Jay in (not of) L.A., Jun 25, 2008 |
| This is a show for people who LOVE performers. While the story has plenty of meat on it's bones, it isn't horribly original or historically noteworthy. There are a couple of out-of-this-world theater moments in the show, but buried in it's extensive running time, I can't say that it completely works. Some of the blocking is very bad, particularly when the whole family is around the dinner table. But those performers -- Dear Lord! ... read more There are at least three performances in the show you will never forget, if you appreciate fine acting. Ultimately, it didn't live up to the hype for me -- but I'm very glad I saw it. Did I mention those performances? Of course I did -- and you will too. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Business Assoc., Adults
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| 9 |
The only play I have ever walked out of - Don't believe the hype. Review by: Potosi, Jun 16, 2008 |
| While the acting was very good and the set was stunning, this is the only play I or the people I went with have ever walked out of. We were compelled to walk out after the second act out of a desire for self-preservation. The story is boring and the characters are unengaging. I did not care about any of the characters in the slightest bit, and hence did not care what happened in the play. We all literally fell asleep. All of the jokes fell ... read more flat and were not funny. They could have done this in an hour and a half if they did some much needed editing. My main impression was the writer made a checklist of clichés that he thought would be ‘edgy’ and just slapped them down in the script. We guessed the The Seafarer was the far superior choice for best play. Thank fully Jim Norton won the TONY for that one. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Family
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| 10 |
A SUPERB DARK COMEDY Review by: Beth M, May 9, 2008 |
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY BY TRACY LETTS: NO SHRINKING VIOLET
By Beth Mandelbaum
As many already know, August: Osage County is the fabulous 21st century version of the great tradition of the American family epic which has its root in such 20th century plays such as Eugene O’Neill’s Long Days Journey Into Night; and is about one of the most dysfunctional of all dysfunctional families. In this brilliantly acted 13 person ensemble piece,... read more, more light is shed than everyone may even want to know about the lives and antics of this thankfully and hopefully imaginary family!
This is a play with lots of humor, though often dark. I have to say that I found myself laughing a great deal, which I hadn’t expected. This is high drama, in which the style of writing, along with the brilliance of the acting and the superb direction, can make some of the darkest of situations strike one as funny. This may be in part because the plot stories and the actions of the characters can be so unpredictable, so surprising, and often exceedingly shocking, that this play has a way of knocking viewers a bit off center in this no-man’s-no-woman’s land of cruelty, viciousness, one-upsmanship, and, often, the unbelievably outrageous!!
In Osage County, you will meet Violet, the caustic, foul mouthed, sharp tongued mother of mothers who seemingly does not have a kind word for anyone. She made me ever so glad that I was sitting in the mezzanine! And this play also focuses on the perils of mother/daughter relationships. You will encounter an entourage of people, all of who are truly struggling with crises and problems that seem very real. You may find yourself feeling sorry for some, hating others, and you may even identify with some of them.
I think I put off seeing this show because of its 3 and half hour length, thinking that it would be totally exhausting and hard to sit through. But I can honestly say that (perhaps with a little help from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich eaten during the 2nd intermission of this 3-act play), I never felt a moment of fatigue, and actually found Osage County energizing! And, when the play was over, I wanted more and more!!
I believe that theatergoers will derive the most out of August: Osage County the less they know of the plot details in advance. (How I wish that I hadn’t felt a need to read through piles of reviews right before I saw it!!!)
My strong recommendation is to go and see August: Osage County, though it is definitely NOT CHILD FRIENDLY.
And because I believe that two of the strongest performers, Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton, will be leaving the production on June 15th, you might consider going on line with your Broadwaybox discount and try to see it before then. However, with this extraordinary cast, from the superb Steppenwolf Theater Company of Chicago, you can’t go wrong regardless.
AND I CAN PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEE YOU THAT ONCE YOU HAVE SEEN AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, YOUR APPRECIATION FOR YOUR OWN FAMILY IS LIKELY TO GROW A THOUSAND FOLD!!!!
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Tourists, Adults
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| 11 |
Definately worth seeing. Review by: lady di, May 4, 2008 |
I thought the acting was amazing. It is a powerful show and not for everyone. If you only like musicals, don't go see this. If you like good theater, see this. It is a very different type of play; serious yet funny. Be prepared, it is a long play-about 3 hours.
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Business Associate
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 12 |
Not for everyone, just those who want riveting theater and a glimpse into the funny, sad human condition.... Review by: RichardA, Apr 20, 2008 |
'saw today's matinee, 4/20/08, and was amazed by this difficult, captivating, sad, funny play. Go for the talent on the stage and the reflection of all of us on the stage, but expect a few long scenes in a 3.5 hour production nolt for the faint of heart or casual theater goer. This is serious stuff, palatable to those who are interested in digging into the sorrowful human condition, but definitely not a fun event for the whole family. Go ... read more wiht friends, or, beter still, sibblings, with whom you can dish about the horrors of growing up in your own dysfunctional small town with family secrets, annoying relatives, and tensions around family gatherings. Brilliant!!
RichardA |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| 13 |
Review by: krakatoa, Apr 11, 2008 |
| Can one family be this dysfunctional? - absolutely! Brilliantly cast and performed - we both loved every minute of it! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Family
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Recommended for:
Tourists, Adults
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| 14 |
I loved it Review by: , Apr 9, 2008 |
| I am a theatre junkie...absolutely love live theatre. I avoided August:Osage County because it was 3+ hours and I thought that unless it surpasses "Long Days Journey", I could not tolerate 3+ hours. How wrong I was...this is spectacular theatre. I thought about it for hours afterwards. I felt privileged to have seen this production. Thank You, August: Osage County...you were/are fantastic. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Anyone
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| 15 |
HILLARIOUS DYSFUNCTION Review by: SM, Mar 27, 2008 |
| August Osage county will make you feel grateful for the family you already have. This is the story of a dysfunctional family of mass porportion which will make you laugh, cry and most of all thrilled that you are not part of this madness. Excellent acting and a great story makes these three hours fly. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| Acting: |
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Tourists, Adults, Anyone
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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