Chicago Weekend Fun!

This is exciting news for Tracy Letts, the cast of August: Osage County and for Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. Tracy Letts just was named as the Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize site describes this award as:  “For a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life.” And I think the play succeeds at meeting those criteria on all accounts.

I went to go see August: Osage County last summer in Chicago on a whim. I was a fan of the show Nash Bridges and I found out that one of the main characters from that show (and our favorite besides Cheech) played by Jeff Perry, was in the play and a co-founding member of Steppenwolf Theater Company. I also had seen Tracy Letts do improv at IO Theater with TJ & Dave from time to time, so I figured why not? So, I got an email when tickets were available, clicked through to buy and then went to go see the show. I was there purely out of curiosity since I am not a regular theater-goer (ok, a bit more since I did Second City TC classes for 2 years) nor a literary connoisseur. 

At the time I was floored by August: Osage County but I figured everything at Steppenwolf would be that good. (note to self: need to go back and see more soon) I was surprised it was over 3 hours long, but it moves so quickly you don’t feel the time at all. I was also surprised at the relevance of the play and characters to most everyone’s life while being way more twisted in the end that you can expect. Maybe too, it resonated more with me because I am one of those Midwesterners like the ones you see featured on stage. It is an intimate look into the lives of this family which could happen anywhere.

What has happened in the time since August: Osage County debut at Steppenwolf is that this play has become a phenomenon. I was surprised when I read in the Chicago Tribune Magazine about a month ago that they had taken it to Broadway in New York and that the reviews were great and the tickets sold out. The actors told of renting small apartments and living a tiring cycle of performing every day and trying to still lead a life in another city away from their families. They hinted at a Pulitzer in the article saying it was a leading contender and now all that hard work has paid off. 

The other thing that is unique about this play is that it is a strong ensemble piece. You don’t usually see theater that features a cast of this many actors and all of them are very strong in their work here. Ensemble work is sometimes under-rated because big star actors won’t get all the attention or the focus. You have to find the right kind of people to be a part of something like this. August: Osage County is all about the ensemble, everyone supports one another (in acting, not necessarily in characters) and no one steals scenes that weren’t intended for them. That is also nice to see among actors.

I am glad that Tracy Letts is keeping Chicago on the map as far as writing original works and putting new plays on stage that can wow people, sell tickets and impress critics all at the same time. I am glad he chooses to work and live here, it proves that Chicago can be a real working artist city. After all the Pulitzer isn’t just about PR Buzz, it actually pays out $10,000.00.

Steppenwolf Theater is not only a great place to see quality new theater work in Chicago, they are brilliant marketers as well. I received the email announcing the play had won the Pulitzer prize Drama Award and below that message was an ad for another Tracy Letts play which was starting to sell advance tickets now. It is called Superior Doughnuts and looks interesting. With any luck they will sell out and maybe there will be more awards in tow for Tracy Letts and Steppenwolf next year.