Kara Krichman
Dramaturgy
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AugusT: Osage County
Plot Sypnopsis
A dead father. A pill-popping venom spitting mother. The three Weston sisters come back to their childhood Oklahoma home to address their family issues. As their time together unfolds, family secrets and repressed truths slowly begin to unfold. August: Osage County by Tracy Letts explores the dark side of the Midwestern American family through dark humor and the dysfunction of family.
Play Overview.
Prologue​
The play begins with Beverly Weston, a once-famous poet, speaking with Johnna, a Cherokee Native American, about a possible job as caretaker for Violet, Beverly's wife. Beverly mentions "My wife takes pills and I drink". He tells Johnna the caretaker position would be difficult due to Violet's cancer and Johnna is up for the challenge. Violet enters the scene after taking prescription drugs; her words are slurred. Beverly hires Johnna and his her a book of T.S. Eliot's poetry.
Act 1
A few weeks later, Beverly has gone missing. Due to his disappearance, the family begins arriving to comfort Violet. Ivy, the Weston daughter who still lives closed to home is with Mattie Fae, Violet's sister, and Charles, her husband. Violet is rude to her family and criticizes Ivy's life choices. The family finds out Beverly's boat has gone missing, which furthers the idea that Beverly may have committed suicide. Violet's daughter, Barbara, arrives with her estranged husband and pot-smoking teenage daughter Jean to assist the family. Jean interacts with Johnna. Bill and Barbra fight about their failing marraige and Bill's infidelity. The family gets an early morning visit from the town Sheriff that tells the, Beverly's body was found in the lake; the official cause of death is 'drowning' and Beverly chose not to swim. Violet is in a pill-driven haze and Barbara goes to identify her father's body.
Act 2
Act Two opens a few days later directly after Beverly's funeral. Violet stands alone in Beverly's study popping pills and quoting Emily Dickinson. Prior to family dinner, family arguments already arise. The final sister Karen has arrived from Florida with her sketchy fiance Steve and is discussing wedding plans to her sisters who are distressed over the fact that she is talking about wedding after her father's funeral. Steve meets Jean and offers to share his stash of marijuana and lewdly flirting with her. Mattie Fae and Charles' son Little Charles missed the funeral and arrives late. Mattie Fae is overtly rude and critical of Little Charles while Charles is far more sympathetic. It is revealed that Ivy secret lover is her cousin Little Charles. Johnna serves dinner and crisis ensues. Violet, clearly high on pills, begins to insult the entire family, discusses Beverly's will and Barbara and Bill's failed marriage, and openly admits to her addiction to prescription pills. Tensions grow and Barbara attacks her mother. The entire family is thrown into the fight trying to separate the. Barbara declares "I'M RUNNING THINGS NOW" and orders the family to raid the house of all pills in order to get Violet clean.
Act 3
Several hours later. The Weston house is calmer and but the air is still not completely cleared. Barbara, Ivy, and Karen discuss their mother's addiction. Ivy reveals to her sister's she is love with their cousin Little Charles, they are running away to New York City, and she doubts the fact that their mother needs help. Violet, more lucid then before, enters and speaks with her daughters. When the are alone, Violet and Barbara apologize to each other. When Charles sees Mattie Fae berating her own son, Charles says if her actions continue, he will leave her. It is revealed to Barbara that Little Charles is not their cousin, but their half brother because Mattie Fae and Beverly had an affair. Steve and Jean share a joint and Steve attempts to molest Jean. Johnna protects Jean by hitting Steve in the head with a cast-iron skillet and waking up the entire house. An argument erupts when Karen sides with Steve and Barbara is ready to attack him. Bill tells Barbara he is leaving with Jean and their marriage is finished. Two weeks later, Barbara offers Johnna the opportunity to stop working for the family but Johnna still wishes to stay. The Sheriff returns and offers Barbara more info about her father's death: he was in Country Squire motel for the first two nights of his disappearance. The Sheriff and Barbara have a short moment of tenderness but Barbara pulls back realizing she's forgotten what she looks like. Over dinner, a few days later, while Ivy, Barbara, and Violet are having dinner, Ivy plans to tell Violet she is in love with Little Charles. Before she can, Violet says she knows that Little Charles is her brother and she knows about Mattie Fae and Beverly's affair. Violet also reveals Beverly's suicide could have been preventable but she chose not to act. Barbara leaves the house realizing she can no longer help her mother. Violet breaks down, realizing she has pushed her entire family away and clings to Johnna. Johnna soothes her with the T.S. Eliot Quote:
"This is the way
the world ends. "