August Osage County

August Osage County

Plot synopsis

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.

Prologue

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.

Act One

Assembled in Beverly and Violet's house are several members of the Weston, Fordham and Aiken families; Beverly Weston has not been seen for five days. The family members reminisce with stories about Beverly and each other, with Violet's confrontational tendencies against her daughters becoming evident. Through various scenes, we learn that each family member harbors a range of emotions toward each other—animosity, guilt and denial. We learn that Barbara has marital problems due to her husband's adultery with his college student—a problem that will fester between them throughout the play. We see that Violet harbors deep pain and dispenses accusations against her daughters. Near the act's end, the sheriff enters to alert the family that Beverly has been found: drowned in a lake in what is presumed his suicide. The act closes with Violet...