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    August: Osage County
    August: Osage County
    August: Osage County
    Audiobook2 hours

    August: Osage County

    Written by Tracy Letts

    Narrated by Deanna Dunagan, Rondi Reed, David Warshofsky and

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Play, Tracy Letts' darkly comic epic offers a painfully funny look at a family struggling in the desolate heart of America.

    An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, featuring members of the original Steppenwolf Theatre and Broadway productions: Tara Lynne Barr, Shannon Cochran, Deanna Dunagan (Tony Award®, Best Leading Actress), Kimberly Guerrero, Francis Guinan, Scott Jaeck, Ron Livingston, Robert Maffia, Mariann Mayberry, Rondi Reed (Tony Award®, Best Featured Actress), and David Warshofsky.

    Directed by Bart DeLorenzo. Recorded by L.A. Thetare Works before a live audience.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherL.A. Theatre Works
    Release dateOct 15, 2014
    ISBN9781580819688
    August: Osage County

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    Reviews for August

    4.5/5

    44 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      One of my favorites. I’ve read, seen, and listen to this play many times. Tracy Letts is an amazing playwright.
    • 5/5
      Funny and heart wrenching, this play presents the drama of family, tradition, aging, lies and truths.
    • 5/5
      Dam. What a trip. Absolutely amazing performances. Funny and tragic.
    • 4/5
      I just don’t like the audience’s laughter!! Induces to something you don’t need!
    • 4/5
      An interesting play about family dysfunction. The movie fleshes out some of the scenes a bit more fluidly, but it's worth the read.
    • 4/5
      I was uncertain about this play when I first saw it. A second viewing (the film) left me somewhat more positive. It is in the reading that I have finally come to realize the weight of this play (and I am not referring to the 3.5 hour running time; I was aware of that from the first viewing). The story of a dysfunctional family in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, sounds genuine. It is an honest story, full of ordinary everyday unhappiness and conflict. The characters are like those in a Sam Shepherd play: deeply flawed, relentlessly narcissistic, unable to find their way out of problems of their own making, and blaming the world at large for everything that went wrong. For the most part, the characters veer between sympathetic and down-right unlikable, much like people in real life. While this family is different from other dysfunctional families, if you came from one, you will certainly recognize the emotional torture, even if the situations are different. It is complex, with subplot on top of subplot, and in the end, as true a statement about the meaninglessness of life as any absurdist writer ever achieved - and doing it all in a realist setting. Definitely worth the investment of time.
    • 4/5
      I only discovered this story after learning that a smorgasbord full of some of my favorite actors and actresses were in town to bring Letts story to film. It is dark and painful and very funny. I was born and raised in the area so I was already familiar with the setting, though my perspective is far less bleak. I thought this would be my favorite part of the play, but I was enthralled by the characters and the family dynamics the most. They were fascinating.
    • 5/5
      Disfunctional family+fighting+dark humour= great play/book
    • 4/5
      Loved it! So much family dysfunction in such a short play. Officially my favorite play ever! I can honestly say that I don't want to be like any of these women when I "grow up". My family is the Waltons compared to this family! Night Mom. Goodnight Dad. See you in the morning my dear brothers. Fade out from a Piper Family reunion with no suicides, no discovery of lovers being related & no one being threatened with a stay in rehab or an institution.
    • 4/5
      This was my first Tracy Letts play and it was a good one. Simply put, this is a dysfunctional family drama. Capital D for dysfunctional; it puts the FUN in dysfunctional.

      Okay, now I'm done with the puns.

      Tracy Letts is very good with his dialogue. It's quick, smart, and witty. There was hilarity in the inherent tragedy of life. I like the isolation of the play. The Weston house seemed all alone, on another plane of existence. No one was happy. Everybody had weird as all hell problems. The hardest part was letting go. But what happens to the others that are left behind? How do they go on?
    • 3/5
      I. Feel. Better. Now.
      After 138 pages of drama, death, despair, drugs, drinking, depravity = Depressing!
      Think I'll read a kid's fairy tale next - nothing like these adult family issues to make you happy your aren't from the "typical family" that "great plays" are written about.
      OK, that's just me after a quick read through this Pulitzer Prize play, so that I can watch the movie sometime. With Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts & a batch of "goodlookingboys", I might want to see the movie and always enjoy reading the book/play first.
      It's an interesting read, but thinking I more enjoy books written by his mother, Billie Letts.
      Enjoyed this quote from his mother: "I try to be upbeat and funny. Everybody in Tracy's stories gets naked or dead."

    • 5/5
      There aren't technically SPOILERS following, but I will spoil the theme and tone, so be warned, and read no further. Here's what this play is NOT: One of those dramas where quirky people go through a tragedy together, but everybody heals and has a big, warm hug and laugh at the end. Yeah, this play has a few quirky people, and they definitely go through a family tragedy. There are also some funny lines and moments of levity. But sh*t gets revealed about this family, past and present, and then more stuff, and then more, and things to from tragic to unrelenting, to worse. This is about the disintegration of a family, character by character. And they do it to each other. I hope someday to see this staged (and I hope the filmmakers don't f- it up).
    • 4/5
      How could you not love Tracy Letts?
    • 4/5
      Tragic and hilarious. The perfect mix of dark humor and real drama -- or at least energized conflict (if that makes sense). It's amazing how the many characters stand apart on the page. Great dialog, some beautiful lines, and satisfying homages to other plays (Long Day's Journey... being the most obvious).
    • 4/5
      This play dives deep into the inner workings of the Weston family and revels in their dysfunction. The family has serious issues, pills, alcohol, adultery, weed, etc., but it also has heart. The story and writing reminded me of Tennessee Williams' work, southern families full of conflict and pain. It also has a dose of comedy and the ability to laugh at the absurdity of their arguments at times. I think this is a play that won't appeal to everyone. At times it was hard for me to identify with the characters because they all seem to view themselves as victims. But over all I thought it was well written and didn't shy away from dark topics.