I was very interested to see the Michigan Theater Department put on this production. August: Osage County is an elaborate play about a family dealing with the disappearance of the patriarch, a matriarch with a drug problem, three sisters managing their respective marriages. It is a play in three parts, on one set piece, the interior of their childhood home. It is an emotionally challenging production for the actors and the audience.
I was very impressed by junior, Jacqueline Toboni’s performance. She played the eldest daughter, Barbara, who is struggling with the separation from her husband, raising a teenage daughter, a pill popping mother and holding the family together in the face of the loss of her father. Mrs. Toboni has a very commanding stage presence and a powerful voice. She was very comfortable in her skin and effortlessly brought the audience into the drama of this family.
Elly Jarvis, Violet the mother, had a very challenging role to portray. The longer the production went on the more haunting her performance became. A very difficult part to embody.
Over all I think this ensemble was very strong. There were some challenges with projection for some, making it seem as though they were shouting their lines. The audience reaction was very positive. There was a lot of enthusiasm for these actors and this production.
August: Osage County won a tony for best new play in 2008. Written by Tracy Letts. This piece of theater is one of the best contemporary pieces that has come out in the last ten years, in my opinion. Excellently represented by this theater department.
