Bind The first classic of the 21* century? August: Osage County By Julia Siedianowska open the home of any regular dysfunctional family. August: Osage County, written by Tracy Letts, was recommended to me by my voice teacher. “It’s supposed to be the first classic of the twenty-first century,” I remember someone saying to me. It had won Letts a Tony Award, and a Pulitzer Prize. This was definitely on my must see list. The Arts Club Theatre’s production consisted of a beautiful and large ensemble cast. Each character was fully taken care of —firstly, by playwright, and also in this production by the actors. Through all the foolishness, insults, plate throwing, laughter, raging, and hysterics, all these characters presented an accurate description of a family pained with the neglect of long covered problems. Nora McLellan, (played by Violet Weston) was the self medicating matriarch who terrorized the entire household with her denial of emotions through the use of muscle relaxants. As her disturbing past is revealed, and also that of her husband, we see that the unresolved conflicts of the parents have also affected the lives of their children. Barbara Fordham, Violets daughter, (played by Karin Konoval) ends up more and more terrifyingly like her mother, not where we envisioned her at the beginning of the plot. All the children end up driven away from their home, with I: was as if we had somehow sliced their own broken lives to deal with, it’s a characteristic of our time. Even still, the characters maintain a sharp humour, making us laugh out loud one minute, then quickly shut up in sympathy and shock, and then hold back our tears. Directed by Janet Wright, this show displayed some really good acting. The set was a complete two-story house with attic—the perfect setting for this very realistic drama, Sometimes spilling with life, sometimes silent and lonely, the house, aided by the lighting effects for this piece was not necessarily unconventional, but still very effective. Letts’ darkly comedic script is a reflection of the human conflicts we all encounter to some degree or another. The actors made every guilt trip hurt, made us want to yell “Shut up, you bully!” and made us see their world in shades of gray. Caught between love and justice, the lines between black and white blurred, we were just as emotionally confused as if in the middle of a conflict from our own lives. One observer commented that “It felt like a Pulitzer Prize winner.” Strangely enough I felt I knew what she meant. To me, August: Osage County has already assimilated Tracy Letts in my mind as one of the big dogs. What you need to know: Who - Arts Club Theatre Company What - August: Osage County : Where - Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage When - January 27 - February 28 | ‘Sasquatch!’ sighting Evaluating this year’s festival line-up esurance }) HONDA By Jacey Gibb lright, so the above headline A= be a bit misleading. Many people may have seen the word Sasquatch and instantly linked this article to the mythical creature in need of a grooming kit, but in this case it’s referencing the wonderful time of year when the town of George is invaded with concert junkies and good times. On February 6, months of speculation and rumours were put to rest as the official line-up for Sasquatch! was released. The question is, did the announcement deliver or disappoint? First let’s look at the main acts for each of the four evenings, since it seems like each of them were drawn out of some form of Headliner hat. I’ve caught Death Cab for Cutie at a couple festivals and while they make a great soundtrack to a lazy Sunday afternoon, they don’t know how to headline. Modest Mouse could definitely pull it off but it seems their popularity has waned a bit since their last full album in 2007. Foo Fighters were announced a long time ago, and I wasn’t excited back then either. They’ve been absent from the music world for too long to make a big enough impression. Wilco is the only one that looks at home on the top of the bill. Honestly, the first name on the list that gave my music-loving heart flutters was The Flaming Lips. My favourite concert of all time is a tie between when I saw these guys at Pemberton and then again when I saw them at Malkin Bowl. I couldn’t praise these guys enough even if I tried. It’s disheartening to hear they’re mostly performing Soft Bulletin material but I'll take what I can get. A lot of the names on the bill aren’t Ce eee) surprising. Matt & Kim recently put out an album and are finally enjoying the media attention they long ago deserved. You can hate all you want but Best Coast’s album was phenomenal and their appearance was inevitable. I haven’t had a chance to listen to new The Decemberists but I’m sure it’s their usual good stuff. I still regret missing The Thermals when they were here a few weeks ago but I’m glad I'll get a chance to see them soon. Noah and the Whale is probably one of my top acts to check out, along with Local Natives, Beach House, CSS, and Deerhunter. Of course everyone’s excited at Death from Above 1979 reuniting for several concerts, but I worry it might ruin the perfect image I’ve created of them in my mind. Wolf Parade going back on tour after a rather brief indefinite hiatus is also a band-back-from-the-dead I’m excited for. Several of my friends are making the journey to Coachella in the spring and they’ve made sure to point out how inferior Sasquatch! is in comparison. I'll start off by agreeing that yes, Coachella’s line-up is far better, but I don’t understand how you can compare the two. Coachella has a couple years head start and their performers are also chosen to appeal to a larger demographic; Sasquatch! is targeted towards a more specific cliental. Looking back at previous years’ line-ups, 2011 does seem slightly less impressive but ultimately you’re paying three hundred dollars to see numerous bands that would cost a lot more to see individually. All I know is as soon as I can clear enough room on my credit card (probably not a good start), I'll be purchasing a ticket of my own.