“Oh, I’m fine. I’ve just got a case of the plains.”
Used by the characters of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s latest production “August: Osage County,” “the plains” is a stab at the soul-sucking illness from which the Weston family suffers on the sweltering, sweeping fields of Oklahoma.
The show opens with a boozy Beverly Weston, played by The Rep’s founding director Cliff Baker, delivering a standout monologue on the lack of brevity in life. The biggest shame of the play is that we’re robbed of Baker’s portrayal when his character disappears, but nevertheless, this sets in motion the rest of the story’s (and the family’s) unraveling.
Then the circus of the Weston clan begins, each more unbelievable than the last, parading through the front door of the large, hot box of a house. Portrayed by Susanne Marley, Beverly’s wife and matriarch Violet heads up the disfunction bunch. A cancer patient with a major pill addiction who doesn’t believe in air conditioning, Violet leaves little room for tenderness. Each time she tears through the house, whether in a drug haze or fully conscious rage, no one is spared. Every biting remark, every insult, every bit of sass that comes from Marley’s mouth is equal parts hilarious and cringeworthy. She builds an incredible character that audiences struggle between feeling sorry for and being disgusted by, an Oklahoman force to be reckoned with.
Oh, but reckon with Violet, her three daughters do. Flighty and goodnatured, the youngest sister Karen (played by Kathy McCafferty) is dripping with earnestness, carrying with her a muddy past of poor decisions, including her perfectly slimeball fiancé Steve Heidebrecht (Marc Carver) who makes the whole audience squirm with every move. Middle sister Ivy (Brenny Rabine) is drowning in her role as caretaker for her parents as the only daughter to stay behind, but still has the fight in her to scramble to get out.
Barbara is the oldest Weston daughter, portrayed by LeeAnne Hutchison. She returns home for the first time in a long time with her estranged husband Bill (Michael McKenzie) and sharp-tongued teenage daughter Jean (Mary Katelin Ward), after keeping her childhood home at a stiff arm’s length. She ends up bearing the brunt of the Weston insanity, and Hutchison gives a remarkable performance as her world melts into a pool of madness, swirling with sweat and shock.
But however dark this story is, it is infinitely funny. Audiences were roaring and literally slapping their knees, laughing at the ludicrous. Arkansan Natalie Canerday as Voilet’s sister Mattie Fae has a command over the stage that flips the switch from uncontrollable giggling to “oh no she didn’t” in a heartbeat. Her husband Charlie (Richard Waddingham) is the perfect comical balance to Mattie Fae, sometimes much to her chagrin, especially when it comes to their blundering son Little Charles (Michael Patrick Kane).
With a script that won both a Pulitzer and a slew of Tony Awards, “August: Osage County” comes with a big pair of shoes to fill. But this first-rate cast with producing artistic director Bob Hupp at the helm delivers something more deliciously balmy than most stages will ever see. The Rep’s Weston family is awful, it’s wonderful and it’s a thousand percent believable.
If having “the plains” means being spellbound by The Rep’s “August: Osage County,” consider me bedeviled. Go see this show.
“August: Osage County” contains adult language and content, and runs through June 21. For showtimes and more information about the play, or to purchase tickets online, visit The Rep’s website. You can also call (501) 378-0405 or stop by the theater’s box office downtown at 601 Main St., Little Rock.