Steadstyle Chicago
	February 2010 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	August Osage County Wine mellows with age; the sweetness gets sweeter and the aroma more inviting!  One might say the same thing about Tracy Letts' award winning "August Osage County," a tragi-comedy that first wowed Chicago audiences at Steppenwolf in 2007, then moved on to Broadway and is now back in town for a limited run at The Cadillac Palace Theatre as part of the Broadway in Chicago series.  It is a special event for theater audiences, an experience to truly have in one's memories of great theater.  For over three hours that feels much shorter, we watch the dysfunctional Weston family that is brought together after the patriarch of the family disappears. What takes place is a family that seems to be close, but as the story unfolds, turns out to have many secrets that tear them apart.  Beverly Weston (Jon DeVries) is an alcoholic poet, who is hiring a young lady Johnna (DeLanna Studi), a local Oklahoma Indian girl to take care of his ailing wife.  Violet (an extraordinary performance by Estelle Parsons) is a woman who has mouth cancer and takes more pills that one can keep up with.  They have three daughters, Barbara, the eldest (a fiercely powerful performance by Shannon Cochran) who is married to Bill (underplayed to perfection by Jeff Still).  They have a teenage daughter (the adorable Emily Kinney).  They are having problems of their own. Their middle daughter Ivy (Angelica Torn) has her own little secret, but she has been the daughter that has been there all the time, the others leaving Oklahoma.  The youngest daughter Karen (Amy Warren) is the dreamer who lives in Florida and brings her fiance with her (Laurence Lau) who is somewhat of a rogue with several marriages behind him.  These are the Westons! The extended family includes Mattie Fae, Violet's sister, played with great intensity by Libby George, her husband Charlie (Paul Vincent O'Connor) probably the only true sane character in the family and their son, Little Charles (Steve Key) who also as it turns out is part of two secrets contained in this twisted plot.  There are many little stories that are conveyed to the audience in this gripping story that under the direction of Anna D. Shapiro moves at a surprisingly quick pace in three acts. As I said earlier, the play is over three hours, yet feels as it is far less.  Todd Rosenthal's set appears to be the same set as in the original production, but due to the larger Cadillac Theatre, seems just a bit smaller.  I do have to say that I feel sorry for those who have to sit in the last rows of the main floor and the top of the balcony as they are cheated by not being able to see the faces of the actors as clearly as the others do.  Each little gesture and eye movement has meaning, so it is of great importance to keep your focus from the start to the end.  This is a play that you do not want to miss one second of.  It is brilliant with a capital B! David Singer's original music adds the right touches at the right time and Chuck Coyl's fight choreography is dynamic.  Ann G. Wrightson's lighting adds to the totality of this splendid production's welcome home to Chicago party.  Each line is memorable, the comic touches divine and the characters that Letts has created, based on some of his own family no doubt, are so real that many of the audience members found themselves sitting at the dinner table with the Westons.  The dinner scene is a classic where many a truth becomes known to the family and yet some remain on hold until later, but they all come out.  We can laugh with and at this family and also feel the pain that each character has or is experiencing.  The very first line spoken is "Life is very long" and then Letts goes on to show us what he means. You only have until February 14, 2010 to experience what every theater-goer should, spending three plus hours with the Weston family, this time at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.  Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. and on 2/14 at 7:30 p.m. as well.  Tickets range from $25-$80 and are well worth it.  This is a must see production, one that lasts three hours plus on stage, but in your memory, a lifetime!  To purchase tickets visit any of the Broadway in Chicago box offices, call the Broadway in Chicago Ticketline at 800-775-2000, visit any Ticketmaster outlet or online visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.  The Cadillac Palace Theatre is located at 151 West Randolph Street.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.