'Osage County' opens Village season

You may hear the sound of theatrical fireworks exploding in the Village Playhouse come Thursday when the theater celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Keely Enright and Dave Reinwald, co-founders of the Mount Pleasant theater, wanted to ignite the 10th season in a big way. And what could be better than a South Carolina premiere of a 2008 Pulitzer Prize-, Olivier Award- and Tony Award-winning tragicomedy such as "August: Osage County."

"We were thrilled to get to produce this rare theatrical piece," says Enright, who will direct playwright Tracy Lett's play that is three acts long and calls for a three-story house on stage.

Set in a small farming town near Tulsa, Okla., the action centers on the extended Weston family dominated by matriarch Violet Weston, a bitter, drug-addicted mother of three grown daughters. She is the wife of a college professor and failed poet.

Before you start thinking of Eugene O'Neill's famous family tragedy, "Long Day's Journey Into Night," you should be warned that Violet is nothing like the morphine-addict mother, Mary Tyrone.

Taking the pivotal role of Violet is Samille Basler, who has played hundreds of roles through four decades.

"This is an extremely challenging role, both mentally and physically, because not only do I have hundreds of lines to memorize, but I have extremely emotional confrontations with my daughters, which is very tiring," says Basler. "But it's truly a fantastic experience."

Basler was surprised to learn that in the 2009 Los Angeles production of "August: Osage County," her role was played by actress Estelle Parsons, who was in her 80s.

Basler is happy that she hasn't seen a production of the play.

"I'm glad I haven't seen someone else perform Violet because I have my own interpretation of that character," she says.

Asked what type of person she perceives Violet to be, Basler answers, "I think she is very sad because her entire life has been filled with disappointments and so many destructive events happened to her. Even her own mother was cruel to her."

Family secrets are revealed when the extended clan gathers at the Weston homestead after Violet's husband goes missing.

"Also, Violet is very disappointed in her husband's career," Basler adds, "as he had one successful book of poetry early on, and after that, although he continued to teach at the university, he never published anything else. And after she and her husband sacrificed to send their three girls to college, none of them became very successful."

There are quite a few humorous lines and funny situations in Lett's play that lend authenticity to the characters.

"August: Osage County" premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 2007 and moved to Broadway that December, where it ran for 648 performances to rave reviews. It then traveled to the National Theatre in London and on to Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre.

In the Village Playhouse production, Cristy Landis plays the oldest daughter, who rarely visits her parents, and who has a troubled relationship with her husband and their teenage daughter.

Others in the cast are Mary Cimino, Nat Jones, Josh Wilhoit, Robin Burke, Katherine Chaney Long, Jeff Jordan, Dave Reinwald, Angela White, Tracy Abeles and Sierra Garland.

Basler, who warns those who see the play not to give away a shocking revelation that provides a clue to Violet's addiction, says, "I'm really glad we're doing this play in such an intimate space so the audience will get the sense they are part of the family, right there in the middle of Sunday dinner."

Performances of "August: Osage County" are at 7 p.m. Thursday and Aug. 26; at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, continuing Aug. 27, 28, Sept. 3 and 4, and matinees at 5 p.m. Aug. 22 and Sept. 5 at the theater at 730 Coleman Blvd. behind Starbucks in Mount Pleasant.

Tickets are $27 for the general public; $25 for senior citizens and $20 for students. Students may purchase available tickets at the door for $12.

To reserve, call 856-1579 or go to www.villageplayhouse.com. Season tickets are available at a discount.

The play is for mature audiences only due to adult language and content.

Dottie Ashley can be reached at dottieashley@gmail.com.