August: Osage County

Seated from left to right: Angeli Bayani, Pinky Amador, Chris Millado,
Baby Barredo, and Sheila Francisco
2nd row standing from left to right: Thea Gloria, Tami Monsod, Richard Cunan,
Hans Eckstein, and Liesl Batucan
3rd row from left to right: Noel Rayos, Kenneth Moraleda, Leo Rialp,
and Arnel Carrion

Repertory Philippines’ staging of August: Osage County at Onstage, Greenbelt became a grand return to the stage for Rep’s own Baby Barredo. Starring as Violet Weston, the drug addicted and beleagured matriarch of the Weston family, Barredo led an all star cast in delivering a solid performance of this award winning play touted as a soap opera from hell.

August: Osage County, winner of The Pulitzer Prize was written by Tracy Letts and the play’s film adaptation gave Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts acting nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. In the Repertory Philippines staging, Chris Millado was on the helm as director marking his first time to work for the theater company.

When the patriarch of the Weston family, Beverley (Leo Rialp) mysteriously disappeared, his daughters Barbara Fordham (Pinky Amador), Ivy Weston (Tami Monsod), and Karen Weston (Liesl Batucan) rushed to their mother’s side to offer each other some solace and comfort. But getting all of them, along with the extended family, some significant others, and all their baggage and dark secrets, together in the household only became a sure recipe for disaster.

As a member of the audience, I couldn’t help but squirm and shift constantly on my seat as each character continued to make wrong decisions despite the best intentions. Barbara’s stern decision to take over her mother’s house hold was a desperate attempt for her to regain control of something as her own relationship with her ex-husband Bill Fordham (Kenneth Moraleda) and daughter Jean Fordham (Thea Gloria) was in shambles. And the other daughters both found love with the wrong man, Ivy with her half brother “Little” Charles Aiken (Noel Rayos) and Karen with the womanizing Steve Heidebrecht (Hans Eckstein). And even Violet’s own sister, Mattie Fae Aiken (Sheila Francisco) also had a dark secret of her own which she compensated by lashing out on her husband Charles Aiken (Richard Cunanan) and son Charles. And all of this madness was silently witnessed by the household help Johnna Monevata (Angeli Bayani) and Sheriff Deon Gilbeau (Arnel Carrion).

From left to right: Chris Millado, Angeli Bayani, Noel Rayos, Thea Gloria,
Kenneth Moraleda, Tami Monsod, Pinky Amador, Baby Barredo, Liesl Batucan,
Sheila Francisco, Richard Cunanan, and Leo Rialp

Not surprisingly, the family that tried so hard to stay together eventually grew more apart than ever gaining more wounds in the process. My favorite moment from this play was when Barbara asked her husband Bill if ever there was a chance for them to be back together again. Bill then took a moment and removed his eyeglasses as if they were the final piece of the mask he had been wearing. Then, looking at Barbara straight in the eye, he told with conviction that it was really over between them. I think that this was the most honest part in the whole play and it was the moment when Barbara realized that she loved him but it was already too late.

August: Osage County was really dark and watching the story unfold made me uncomfortable in some parts. Good thing that I knew beforehand that this was not a feel good play wherein one can just sit back and enjoy watching. After this was over, I had to collect my thoughts, let out a huge sigh and express relief and gratitude that my family, despite the occasional quibbles, isn’t as messed up as the Westons.