Bostonians may recognize slices of “August: Osage County” in their own families: alcoholism, an overbearing matriarch, sibling rivalry, infidelity.
However, the family in the play, the Westons, deal with everything at once.
“No matter how screwed up your family is, you tend to feel a little bit better when you leave the theater,” says Angelica Torn, who plays dutiful daughter Ivy Weston.
The plot revolves around three generations of Westons, who come together at their rural Oklahoma home after their patriarch disappears. Drama ensues in this dark comedy.
“The secret that my character has is a really, really big one. There are layers and layers of secrets in this family,” says Torn. “A lot of them are plot-spoilers, so I can’t get into them.”
“August: Osage County” won a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2008, and a Tony award the same year. What Torn says she likes about the play is that it differs from standard Broadway fare.
“Mainly as Americans, we get musicals,” she says. “We don’t get the chance outside of New York to see a play like this anymore.”
