Review: AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY at Susquehanna Stage

Whether romantic, slapstick, highbrow or low, the secret to the success of any comedy is in the timing. For August: Osage County at the Susquehanna Stage, it is the spot on timing that makes for a tragic, dark, twisted, and hilarious show. 

The 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning, August: Osage County, tells the intense story of a family coming to terms with death, divorce, infidelity, and incest. Beginning with the disappearance of the patriarch, his three daughters rush home to look for their father and support their worried (and drug-addled) mother. What ensues is a deep and dark look at a dysfunctional family and their challenges to overcome their seemingly self induced adversity.

The power of this production does not come from the (as always) amazing set design, the impressive sound and lighting by Thomas Hudson, or the clever direction by Kevin Ditzler (assisted by Kwyn Caldwell). What makes this show so truly successful is the amazing chemistry, delivery, and timing of the cast. 

After her very first scene, it is clear that Cynthia Charles’s powerful portrayal of Violet Weston is to be the performance of the night. That is until Jim Johnson and Susan Kresge take the stage together and win over the audience with their charm and wit. Johnson and Kresge beautifully talk over one another as if they had been married for years. But there is the amazing chemistry between the three Weston girls (Cara Ditzler, Andi Jo Hill, and Sarah Zahn) to consider. Or perhaps it is the tension between Andi Jo Hill’s Barbara Fordham and Duane Hespell’s Bill Fordham that stands out most. A close runner up must be Aaron Dalton’s lecherous Steve Heidebrecht and his target Clara Mecouch’s Jean Forham. With so many amazing performances, I will let the reader decide for themselves who truly is the stand out.