There has been an awful lot of noise in theater circles recently about the Broadway production of August:  Osage County, so I was mildy trepidatious about seeing it last week.  I was in New York to cast Little Dog Laughed, and had the opportunity to see Tom Stoppard’s new play Rock ‘n Roll (about the revolutionary power of music - specifically related to the Czech revolution); Is He Dead (the hilarious recently unearthed play by Mark Twain that is receiving a delicious production by Michael Blakemore [British director of Copenhagen and the revival of Kiss Me Kate].)

 But August:  Osage County was in a league of its own.  The play is by Tracy Letts, the author of Bug  and Killer Joe (both of which Artists Rep produced in Portland), as well as The Man From Nebraska, an elegiac drama that I admired immensely.

 Osage County is an epic America family drama set in Oklahoma.  It has the power, raw emotion, bitter edge and wild humor of the greatest of Edward Albee’s plays - and the reach of the best of Eugene O’Neill.  Writing for the NY Times, Charles Isherwood called it the best new American play in a decade (I guess that would be since Angels in America).  I tend to agree.  It was astounding.

 But perhaps even more delicious, were the balls-to-the-walls performances by members of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Company.  Completely naturalistic, overlapping dialogue was delivered with a truthfulness, specificity and acid humor that confounded from start to finish.  Though it was three acts and 3 hours and 15 minutes, I felt like I could have sat down and watched the entire thing again from start to finish.

 If you get to New York:  Go!