Wednesday, August 06, 2008

August: Osage County Inches Closer To The Silver Screen


Tracy Letts' stellar ensemble play, which already boasts the Pulitzer and five Tonys, is getting closer to what will undoubtedly be a few Oscars.

According to Variety, Doumanian Productions and Steve Traxler, the Broadway production's lead producers, will executive produce the cinematic incarnation of dysfunctional tour-de-force written by Steppenwolf playwright Tracy Letts. No budget, schedule or cast has been set but every time a Hollywood A-list actor goes to see August: Osage County, rumors certainly fly. In fact, theatre bloggers have made great sport of predicting which Tinsel Town luminaries they'd like to see bring the Weston family to the big screen.

I realize that several of the original cast will have had the opportunity to perform this masterpiece in London and perhaps on the US tour. I also understand the allure that some of the best written roles in contemporary theatre hold for established film actors. But please, God, please, let the Steppenwolf actors have the opportunity to immortalize their brilliant performances for the public at large. A broader audience deserves to see those performances.

And I did say please.

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Click here to play casting agent for August: Osage County in the Fantasy Casting poll.

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