It’s not every day a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama makes its way out west to Perth stages – and when there’s a chance to see some of the country’s most talented performers tackle a modern classic like August: Osage County, it would be mad to miss it. This Belvoir / Black Swan co-production, which opened at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia last week, is a phenomenal production that is well worth a watch, no matter your theatrical preference.
The three-act show written by Tracy Letts sees three generations of the Weston family gather at the family home in Osage County, Oklahoma, when the patriarch Beverly (Geoff Kelso) has gone missing. In his wake are Violet (Pamela Rabe), who is battling mouth cancer and an addiction to prescription pills, her three daughters, her granddaughter, and a smattering of extended family and acquaintances. Once Beverly’s fate and story unravels before them all, tensions reach boiling point and relationships are tested beyond their limits.
Pamela Rabe in the leading role of Violet is an inimitable powerhouse. She is menacing, at times playful, and above all captivating. Hayley McElhinney as eldest daughter Barbara is a masterful performance; filled with nuance and offering the audience a sympathetic viewpoint into life with an unstable parent. Violet’s other two daughters, Ivy (Amy Mathews) and Karen (Anna Samson) round out the trio of sisters and portray incredible chemistry and complexity. I particularly enjoyed Samson’s physical comedy and incredibly precise comic timing – a necessity for relief in some of the show’s more tense moments.
The entire cast present incredible performances, with other highlights including the playfulness of Esther Williams as 14-year-old granddaughter of Violet Jean, the acerbic delivery of Caroline Brazier’s Mattie Fae, and the sincerity and earnestness of Bee Cruse’s Johnna. Shout-out also to Gibson Nolte who stepped into the role of Barbara’s husband Bill as understudy on the night I attended, and gave a very layered and strong performance.
Prospective audiences should not be put off by this show’s 3.5 hour runtime, as every minute is necessary in understanding the unravelling of this family and assessing the deep emotional impacts that generational trauma can wreak on family trees. Act two, the show’s shortest, is a thrill to watch, as we see Violet unleash her deepest grievances in an embarrassingly public forum.
Director Eamon Flack has done a phenomenal job in this show’s visioning and has crafted a series of genius moments in staging and creative use of the show’s somewhat simplistic set, beautifully designed by Bob Cousins. Rachael Dease’s atmospheric and eerie sound design complements the piece brilliantly and keeps us suitably on edge as disputes bubble up to the surface and manifest in intense fights (and in some cases, physical altercations).
August: Osage County is a testament to Australia’s thriving performing arts industry, and it was such a treat to catch it as part of the 2025 Perth Festival line up. A once-in-a-lifetime night at the theatre, and a phenomenal cast – buy a ticket or regret it.
August: Osage County is on now until 16 March at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA as part of Perth Festival.
Tickets: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2025/august-osage-county
Website: https://www.perthfestival.com.au/program/season-2025/august-osage-county
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/blackswanstc/
Photo credits: Philip Gostelow
