The plot centers on a reunion of the Weston family, living in the state of Oklahoma; the play's title refers to Osage County, which lies northwest of Tulsa.The three-act play, which runs for about 3 hours, 20 minutes including intermissions, deals with such issues as drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, death, family dysfunction, sexual harassment, pedophilia, aging, generational change, racism, incest, infidelity, and ultimately love.
The play opens with Beverly, the patriarch of the Weston family and Johnna, a young Native American woman he hired as a cook and caregiver for his wife, Violet Weston, who is addicted to several prescription drugs and exhibits paranoia and mood swings. They lightly converse about Violet’s current problems and touch on the past without revealing too many details, most of which Beverly concedes are the result of her personal demons far worse than the drugs can cure. Violet enters the scene clearly affected by her drugs. The scene closes with Beverly realizing the sense of dread his life has become. This will be Beverly’s last appearance in the play.
A vanished father, a pill-popping mother, three sister’s harboring shady little secrets. When the large Weston family unexpectedly reunites after dad disappears, their Oklahoma family homestead explodes with family secrets and untold family truths. August Osage County tickets show the dark side of a Midwestern family.
