Is anyone going to see this? has anyone seen the play before? I have booked tickets to see this in November on the back of word of mouth about the broadway production!

Hi
I saw this in New York in May 08 and thought it was very very good in some parts and okay in others.
A couple of really good performances but in my opinion it did not deserve all the Tony awards it received.
Amy Morton should have got the best actress award and not Deanna Dunagan.

7/10

Alnoor

I'm going. I'm ever so pleased I got row B for £10! But not until early December. It has phenomenal word-of-mouth! And we get Gary Cole! So it should be a good afternoon out if nothing else.

yeah i got two tickets in row d for £10 each so Im quite happy!

I will defiantly be making the effort to go down and see this after all the rave reviews it recieved on broadway and through word of mouth!

Saw it last month and it is absolutely wonderful - 3 and a half hours but it just flies past - don't go in expecting the greatest play ever written, it's not, but it is hugely entertaining, moving and funny. The Act II sequence around the dinner table (which lasts about 30 mins) is sublime. Great acting, brilliantly screwed up characters and great dialogue. The twists and turns and revelations are a bit soap-y in places but who cares when you're having such a good time. We loved it.

I'm really looking forward to this. It sounds amazing!

i saw it and left at the interval on broadway! it was at the imperial which is a huge barn and was at the back. in parts it was inaudible and i think that this was the venue

i have decided to give it a second chance at the national, and have a seat in the front stalls - i cant believe it was that bad (in my opinion) when it had been so hyped - i am sure i must have missed something!

be interesting to see if i take to it a second time round!

Actually now you mention it audibility was a bit of a problem, and when the characters ran upto the attic they were clear;y (and badly) miked. Also the first act is the weakest - indeed the first scene is pretty dreary - one long rambling monologue about TS Eliot. But despite those quibbles, as I say we loved it. Funny how you forget little niggles about a show afterwards. Anyway, I booked again last night - still loads of availability. Shame if it doesnt do well.

My partner saw it with me, and went to Walworth Farce last week, which he loved. That, along with Pitman Painters and August suggests a depressing truth which is that the three best shows at the National this year all originated at other theatres...

my wonderful entry pass card means i can see anything at the NT for a fiver so i was straight on this. really excited about it, everyone seems to rave about it on broadway. anything that won a pulitzer is worth seeing anyway.

There's a new website up for the London production...

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/august/

Its a long but very entertaining black comedy - in my view the plot goes a bit over the top making its point but its very good writing, and the cast I saw on Broadway were superb. I would say its one of the best new American plays I've seen in the last few years.

Have booked my tickets and can't wait - have heard such good things from friends who have seen it on Broadway... I got my tickets for £15 thanks to a special offer on facebook. If you become a fan of the production on Facebook through the National group I think you can get the special offer....

J

Saw the first preview last night and highly, highly recommend. A wonderful combination of humour, humanity and genuine angst. It's long (3 hours 20, I think) but after a slighly laboured beginning, it flew by. Amazing performances - I particularly liked Amy Morton as the eldest daughter (when she's on stage it's hard to take your eyes off her, her performance is so nuanced and quick-witted), Paul Vincent O'Connor (his never-ending grace at the table, his understated warmth and compassion); and Gary Cole as the sleazy fiance. Deanna Dunagan was amazing as the drug-addled mother. In the second act there is an excruciating meal which contrasts brilliantly with Ayckbourn's Table Manners (American ghastly family meals versus British ones.) Get tickets if you can.

Thanks foxa for that, I was worried but it sounds like a winner. And I've seen Table Manners so will enjoy the link!

Hey, sounds great. Just wondering, because I have cheap £10 seats at the front, what the view will be like. Looking on the website, it looks like the set might have many levels, which is always a disaster from anywhere in the front stalls as you end up looking at the ceiling of the downstairs and can't see what's going on in the upstairs room at all (both Rafta Rafta and The Hothouse were "classics" in this respect). Is this the case or does the action happen at pretty much ground level throughout?

Thanks.

I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did, Lynette!

Art87 - the set is on different levels, but I don't think you will miss much being in the first row. There are three levels. At the very top is the housekeeper's room and there is one significant scene up there. The middle level isn't used much, usually characters wafting about atmospherically. The really, really meaty stuff happens on the ground level and the quality of the acting is something you will want to examine close up, I reckon. I think you'll be fine.

Im getting more excited about this Im sat in row C and really looking forward to it! just have to wait a few more weeks yet!

A fullphoto of the set is in today's Observer.

A

Great, black fun. I agree about Amy Morton being outstanding, but the whole cast is very good. The TS Eliot link is unsubtle, and I could have done with the native American character being a bit less saintly (I was dying for her to turn out to be a conwoman or something), but none of that detracts much from it. Wonderful programming for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact the stranger on my right turned to me at the end and said Happy Christmas.

I was thinking of going to see this towards the end of december and can see that there are still quite a few seats available. Can anyone tell me if I am likely to be able to get these discounted nearer the date (and if so where I can get them from - am guessing it won't be on tkts?) Would tickets sold on the day just be for the cheap £10 seats?

Possibly you'll get discounted seats, but it is a limited run and I suspect amazing reviews could make this a sell out. ALthough if they aren't all great it might really effect it. But definitely get your tickets sorted if you can - it is so worth seeing.

Tix on the day are usually the cheap ones at the front...

My chum saw this on Monday night, and raved over it. I trust his judgement, so I've booked as soon as I can using the Facebook offer (a £29 ticket for £15). Not quite as nice a seat at the £41 seats, but I'm looking forward to it.

Scintillating!

I know why some folks here aren't convinced it's a great play - it feels like there's a bit too much baggage and that if you stripped out some of the subplots you might actually end up with a lethal all-female King Lear; it's certainly all there. But all of the subplots entertain in their own right too. You have to hand it that. It's far, far more entertaining and generous with its prose, characterisation and ideas than any new British play I can think of this year. It's like an entire novel. I kept thinking of Jonathan Franzen's awesome The Corrections. And while some of us who probably spend way too long in theatres may occasionally find it rather redolent of O'Neill or Albee, for people who don't usually venture in, it's an incredible, rollercoaster treat. And so cathartic too. For anyone who's ever been somebody's child (i.e. all of us), surely the last line of Act 2 is one of the most delightful, therapeutic, irresistible prospects we could ever dream of. I'd happily sit through the other 3 and a half hours just to experience that wondrous moment again.

Above all though it's the acting that you have to see. Everyone's gloriously authentic in it (big shout-out to the husbands who aren't getting much coverage amid the dames but are all very, very credible). I agree though that Amy Morton is something else - performance of the year for me, if not the last few years. She makes Barbara astonishingly real. I'd love to see her in every play I go to from now on.

I saw this last night and really enjoyed it. I did think it was very long (3hrs 40mins) and could have been trimmed a bit. It's very much a show for the female actresses (the guys didn't really do a whole lot and I was very disappointed at how little Gary Cole did as that was the only reason I originally booked!) All the female characters are brilliantly acted though and really bring the play to life.

The National really should have a warning though to stop old people booking. Every time someone swore on stage there was a chorus of tuts around me from the oldies. Surely they must expect a bit of swearing in a modern play.

It might not just be "old people" who weary at all the bad language (much of it gratuitous, I thought). And why should bad language be expected in new plays? Not all of us swear the whole time.
This is an exciting show, certainly, but the bad language is a major drawback and is overdone by several spoonfuls.

I honestly can't even remember any "bad" language - I'm obviously immune. I might have noticed if there hadn't been though. People stuck in disfunctional families swear.

I thought the swearing in the fish-eating scene was hilarious. Didn't notice it much elsewhere.

From my seat in row E, I strained a bit to hear Deanna Dunagan; I don't know if people further back had problems hearing her.

Annie

Saw it in NY and then again at the National - it was a brilliant night yet again.

And I echo everything Theatre squirrel says above; it's a truly great evening in the theatre.

I worship at the throne of Amy Morton.

And personally, I couldn't get enough of the bad language!

Eat the fish b*tch!

WOWEE! One of the greatest afternoons I have spent in the theatre, sat in the back row of the circle and was able to hear everything.

Extraordinary acting, not a weak link, and am still reeling from the show even now, which is a sure sign it was a great.

Go and see it if you have not done so already.

Just to appear well-informed, is it pronounced "Oss-idge" or "Oh-Sage"?

Outstanding. No since Who's Afraid with Kathleen have I sat slack-jawed in the theatre in London. Agree with the above = the end of ACT2 is remarkable, I had stopped breathing and almost fainted! I love them all as my family now.
x

Oh-Sage

Slow first act and especially the first scene, but after the first interval the play took off. A sublime dinner party scene and aftermath which ended the second act was a sheer joy to watch. A really enjoyable play if a little derivitive of Eugene O'Neill, Edward Albee. Fantastic, naturalistic performances from the entire cast. A little long at three and a half hours - folk were getting anxious about last trains etc and made hasty exits at the end but the time flew by. A very enjoyable evening in the theatre once you get beyond the slow opening. It gets the "wickedgrin" recommend for what that's worth!!!!!!!!!

Two thumbs up, and a planned return trip from me. Unlike some long plays, where the hours simply fly by and you're genuinely disappointed to have it finish so soon, you could feel every minute ticking away of this production. But please don't misunderstand me, that's by no means a bad thing. Just because you could feel the sheer length doesn't mean it was slow, poorly-paced, boring, or unenjoyable on any level. :3

They should definitely stop young people booking as well. Last night there was a group of young people who started wolf whistling at the kiss!

If my parents were still alive, I would be highly recommending August:Osage County to them. When "Killer Joe" was advertised as "don't take your maiden Aunt", I decided to take my elderly mother, who quite happily absorbed the drugs, nudity, simulated sex, extreme langauge and even the dismembered body in the bin bag. She would have absolutely adored August:Osage County, as much as the "oldies" around me last night who were first on their feet for a standing ovation.

I'm now starting to think they, and indeed all theatres, should just stop people generally from booking. Except me, of course. And you as well, perhaps. But let's face it - pretty much everyone else in theatres are just annoying. By the way I'm not satirising your posts, Trev and Steve - I'm serious.

At the Old Vic last night, I did regard my fellow audience mmebers and think, "I hate people". I'd had an arduous day so maybe my antennae were already pulsing with irritation. At a production at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, I was the only audience member. I loved it!

Perhaps if the booking process included a series of quiz questions on correct theatre etiquette, and some kind of contract of silence as well. Get any of the questions wrong, or refuse to append the electronic equivalent of your signature* to the contract, and they won't sell you a ticket. Violate the terms of your contract once in the theatre and they'll turf you out on your ear with no mercy.

*the government have something like this for online benefit stuffs, so it's do-able

Or you could just always go to the theatre in a group, and loudly remind your personal group of acceptable behaviour right before the play starts. I'm always using increased volume to remind my mother to switch off her phone ("OFF, not SILENT, because the vibrations and the light are just as distracting!") and that she's not to say a single word during the performance. Poor mother, she stands it in good humour, at least. And it does seem to work quite a bit of the time. :3

saw the understudy run on Tuesday. Brilliant play, and great performances. Couldn't quite understand why the handful of "normal" cast weren't in costumes. surely you would just wear costumes to help your fellow actors...i know I would. Will be going back to see the main cast.

I thought it was good, but not as amazing as some people would have you believe. The first half of act 1 is very slow, and act 3 takes a very long time to decide to end. The acting is fantastic with Amy Morton being an amazing presence throughout. The "middle" sister who was supposed to be 44 looked about 25 (apparently she is 46, but their was a snigger from the audience when her age was first mentioned) but all the women are great with parts that must be great fun. The men are very good too.

However it is one of the most ludicrous plays I have ever seen with absolutely no grounding in reality. How it won the Pulitzer I don't know, but don't go expecting to find deep meaning - it's all just based around big revelations; incest, pedophilia, love affairs, pill addiction etc. Honestly, these plotlines would be considered too silly for Eastenders. That's not to say it isn't hugely entertaining, but it certainly sits far on the "pure fiction" side of the fence.

For my money, The Norman Conquests down the road are funnier and infinitely more insightful when it comes to how families really interact. The August: Osage County director could also learn a lot from Table Manners about staging a dinner scene - there literally isn't a single seat in the Lyttelton that would give you a good view of that particular 15 minutes...

I am wondering if the "double negative" applies here, whether to satirise a satire leaves you with the original intention......

Just to say that when trying to pay the parking charge this afternoon post Oedipus we came upon two 'oldies' but actually not so old, more like older middlies, women, who had just walked out of Osage at the second interval. I asked them if it was the language cos you mentioned the 'tuts' but it didn't seem to have been that - they just hated it, had waited for it to improve and in their opinion it hadn't.

What pure joy from begining to end. Wonderful performances - particularly Amy Morton - beatifully directed & a wonderful set. I would particularly praise the quite extraordinary piece of theatre just before the 2nd Act dinner when the cast were positioned throughout the house engaging with each other in various ways - this was a stunning piece of ensemble playing. I hope the success of this production will encourage Steppenwolf to return - I can't wait to see them again & may well return to this production during the run, something I have very rarely done.

It's interesting you bring up Ayckbourn; I left 'August' thinking "ahhh, so *that's* what people like so much about Alan Ayckbourn!". I never really liked him, finding his searing truths too depressing and his "humour" not funny at all. Tracy Letts managed to pad the searing truths with enough ridiculous melodrama that they didn't cut *too* close to home (something that renders trips to Ayckbourn plays ridiculously uncomfortable for me), while actually being funny when he was aiming to be funny (Ayckbourn all too obviously finds things funny that I really really DON'T).

Which I think takes us back to the old chestnut of "everyone has a different sense of humour blah blah blah".

I do however agree about the staging of the dinner scene; I can't myself imagine a way to improve it without major knock-on effects to the rest of the piece, but it was rather difficult to watch, particularly as I was on the far end of the second row and practically had to rest my feet in the lap of the gentleman next to me to see it. XD

For me it's the fact that Ayckbourn makes us laugh at a situation before we realise that it's familiar and actually rather tragic that makes those plays so brilliant. I think we agree that both plays share a lot of elements - family get-together turns out to be hellish as skeletons come tumbling out of the closet - but once those skeletons become hyper-real (a la secret love child incest), it all becomes pretty safe - this is me, in the stalls watching "a play". When there's a stronger grounding in reality (fancying the wrong people; stressing about who sits where at the dinner table; falling out of love with your wife) then I can truly connect with a play and find that it can actually make me re-examine elements of my own life and those of my friends. But as you say, horses for courses...

WOW WOW WOW and WOW again, quite possibly the best thing I have seen on stage, just come back from it and myself and a friend spent the entire journey 90mins back talking about it! I will weigh up my thoughts and let you know my reactions tomorrow but WOW

There can be few more depressing words in theatre than 'second interval'

How about "written, produced, directed by and starring"? Six words to strike terror into the heart of mortal man.

Only if the word 'solo' is in there!

For me (I have said this before) "Devised by the company".