August: Osage County

August: Osage County description

Following a sudden family crisis, the fiercely dysfunctional Weston family reunites at their Oklahoma home. As old wounds reopen and long-buried secrets come to light, simmering resentments boil over in an unfiltered portrait of family life. By turns darkly funny and deeply moving, Tracy Letts' modern masterpiece is filled with unforgettable characters, blistering dialogue and explosive family truths, exploring themes of family, addiction and grief.

Widely regarded as one of the defining plays of the 21st century, August: Osage County won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. First staged by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2007 before engagements on Broadway and at London's National Theatre, this production marks its first major West End revival and its return to London for the first time in almost 20 years. It is directed by Jeremy Herrin, whose work includes People, Places and Things and Wolf Hall, and stars two-time Olivier Award winner and 2026 Tony Award winner Lesley Manville as Violet Weston, alongside two-time BAFTA Award winner Anna Maxwell Martin as Barbara Fordham. Written by Tracy Letts, who adapted it into the 2013 film starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

Playing at Noel Coward Theatre (venue info)