A missing father, a pill-popping mother and three sisters harboring secrets.
It’s “August: Osage County.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by Tracy Letts follows the Weston sisters and their mother after the four unexpectedly reunite when “dad” disappears. Opening night for what Penobscot Theatre Company director Bari Newport calls “an epic American play” is scheduled for April 30.
According to a news release from the theater group, the play “unflinchingly and uproariously exposes the dark side of a midwestern American family while humor proves a thin veil for decades of deceit and disappointment.”
“At its core [is] relationships … but when I hear ‘August,’ I think of it as being funny,” Newport said. “The characters are rich, layered and something for each actor to bite into.”
This is Maine’s professional premiere of the play, which Newport says may have to do with the tale’s epic scale.
“These days, it is rare to see 13 actors on stage, as large casts quickly become very expensive,” she said.
The play also will boast the biggest stationary set the theater ever has had. It is a three-story home that almost entirely is fully functioning, with a working stove, running water and an attic bedroom perched so high it almost looks parallel with the theater’s catwalk.
“The house is essentially a character too,” Newport said.
Human cast members include Allen Adams, Travis Baker, Hannah Box, Kae Cooney, Danielle Kennedy, Brad LaBree, Julie Arnold Lisnet, Grace Livingston, Arthur Morison, AJ Mooney, Brendan Powers, Amy Roeder and Richard Sewell. A handful of the the actors are from out of state, but the majority are what Newport calls “local legendary types.”
Overall, Newport said she and others hope audience members walk away from the play saying “wow.”
“It’s modern, fresh and something everyone can relate to walking into the octopus tank that is a family reunion,” she said.
“August: Osage County” also was turned into a movie in 2013, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. The film adaptation was nominated for several awards, including the 2014 Oscars.
Performances of “August: Osage County” will be held from April 30 to May 17. To purchase tickets or for more details, call the Box Office at 207-942-3333 or go online at penobscottheatre.org.
