Return of 'August: Osage County' just the latest turn for playwright Letts
A happy coincidence.
That's how actor/playwright Tracy Letts describes the convergence of his professional life onstage in Chicago, where his Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play "August: Osage County" opens Tuesday at the Cadillac Palace Theatre on its national tour.
"August's" run coincides with Profiles Theatre's blistering revival of "Killer Joe," Letts' first play - a dark comedy about greed and family dysfunction. And that's not all.
A talented actor as well as a writer, Letts returned to Steppenwolf's stage for the first time since 2007's "Betrayal" to co-star in the company's pitch-perfect revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo," which runs through Feb. 14.
"There's no way I could have planned that if I had tried," says Letts.
"August: Osage County," however, remains his best-known work to date. The play - a sprawling, caustic tragicomedy about an Oklahoma family's response to its missing patriarch - premiered at Steppenwolf in July 2007 and earned him a Pulitzer and Tony the following year. He just finished writing the screenplay.
As for his twin talents, Letts prefers to do one thing at a time. He'll tour with "Buffalo," which travels to Princeton, N.J., after its Chicago run. After that, he begins writing again.
He likes to think writing helped make him a better actor. Sometimes actors make it harder on themselves, digging into a role, he says. Writing enabled him to "cut to the chase" more easily.
In any case, what he gleans from writing, he can apply to acting - and vice versa.
"In some ways, you get to know Tracy very much through his writing," says fellow Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Rick Snyder, who co-starred in the original production of "August" and is also directing "Killer Joe."
The quality of writing makes acting in Letts' plays both a joy and a challenge, says Snyder.
"There's tremendous pressure because you know how good it is," he adds. "After we read 'August: Osage County,' everybody in the room knew it was something special."
Letts says his writing has evolved over the years.
"I tend to switch it up from play to play, and I will probably continue to do that," says the Oklahoma native, who moved to Chicago more than 20 years ago.
Yet both plays - each encompassing betrayal, infidelity, cruelty and regret - could be viewed on a continuum of family dysfunction, with the Westons of "August" a more refined (and less criminal) version of the Smiths of "Killer Joe." In each case, though, Letts seems to suggest that no one inspires love, protectiveness, anger and cruelty like a family member.
After learning Snyder was to direct "Killer Joe," Letts sent him an e-mail saying how happy he was about that.
"That gave me the confidence to go with my instincts," says the Wheaton resident. "It gave me the green light to make it my own."
Really, says Letts, that's what Chicago theater is all about: having a point of view, making an imprint. It's about the work, not the rewards, says Letts.
Letts has enjoyed both. So, does he still pinch himself over his success?
"Every day of my life," he says.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"August: Osage County"</p>
<p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, Chicago</p>
<p class="News"><b>When:</b> Tuesday, Feb. 2, to Sunday, Feb. 14</p>
<p class="News"><b>Showtimes:</b> 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; additional shows at 2 p.m. Feb. 3 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14</p>
<p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $25 to $80; available at <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com" target="new">www.ticketmaster.com</a> or (800) 775-2000</p>