Brilliant ensemble acting in August: Osage County

Tracy Letts’ award-winning drama August: Osage County is rife with divorce, separation, flirtation, infidelity, drug addiction, alcoholism — and suicide. The plot is complicated; family relationships are complex. But they are delineated by a brilliant cast through the closest possible ensemble acting directed by Chris Millado who, in his explanatory notes, “disappears” indeed after his work is done, leaving viewers to immerse themselves thoroughly in the drama and to empathize with its characters.

The all-purpose set design of Miguel Faustmann serves as a living room, which is momentarily converted into a bedroom; a balcony, an ante-room likewise partly turned into a bedroom, and stairs leading to an upper-floor bedroom. Dialogue is thus without interruption in this ingenious, imaginative setting.

Screaming sessions, fiery arguments, vociferous name-calling are deafening. A most violent scene takes place in the dining room where each hot head has to speak his/her lines just at the right moment. How the perfect coordination prevents the verbal tussles from turning into chaotic confusion!

Seasoned actors are standard with Rep. Dominant dramatic figure was Baby Barredo, magnificent as the termagant matriarch Violet Weston. She did just about everything with amazing eloquence — from swinging and swaying after her husband’s funeral, to thunderously sending everyone to the hot place, and finally, as she loses her authority, to crumbling in the arms of the maid while poignantly crying, “This is my house!”

Pinky Amador vibrantly and compellingly asserted herself as Violet’s daughter Barbara who is vehemently averse to her mother. Barbara’s sisters Tani Monsod, Liesl Batucan and aunt Sheila Francisco were likewise terrifying in the screaming sessions. (Ironically, the actors did not indulge in the shouting bouts as much.)

The rest of the cast, in varying degrees of excellent ensemble acting, were Leo Rialp, Kenneth Moraleda, Richard Cunanan, Thea Gloria, Angeli Bayani, Arnel Carrion, Hans Eckstein and Noel Rayos. The tumultuous, stirring scenes collectively created will be indelibly etched in the memory.