August, Osage County, a play by Tracy Letts at the Imperial Theatre. The Steppenwolf Company, Directed by Anna D. Shapiro. For a magical three and a half hours, the Imperial Theatre stage teems with life, more specifically the life of a midwest family of a famous poet. The set, a three story house, works wonderfully in this great production of a modern masterwork. The play has been compared to works by O'Neill (some similarities to "The Glass Menagerie" and "Long Day's Journey Into Night") but we found it wholly original and absorbing in its own right. In fact if I were to compare it to a play it would be the grand three act "Awake and Sing" by Clifford Odets, which like "August, Osage County" also has a metaphoric subtext about America. Many plays start out with superb first acts only to falter in the fatal second act, when the writer has run out of ideas and momentum. Not so with Tracy Letts who has penned a second act that is a genuine coup de theatre, a white hot dinner scene that is a mini play all by itself. But then, there is the culminating third act which has a keening fade out that will stay with us for a very long time. This is a magnificent ensemble, one that will be talked about with awe for years. The performances by Amy Morton and Deanna Dunagan are likely to win numerous awards as will the director Anna D. Shapiro, and of course "August, Osage County" itself will surely win the Tony Award as Best Play. Despite the brief and unfortunate strike interruption, this is shaping up to be one of the most memorable Broadway seasons in years and will no doubt be one day known as the season of "August, Osage County." Three and a half hours flew by; it would be nice to have another three and a half with the Westons. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade. A+