American actor and Steppenwolf Theater Company alumni Gary Cole is the final actor to be cast in the production of August: Osage County which opens at the National’s Lyttelton theatre in November.
Cole is probably best known for his roles in American series The West Wing, in which he played Vice President Bob Russell, Midnight Caller, American Gothic and Desperate Housewives, appearing in the series currently airing on Channel 4.
On film Cole’s credits include current comedy Pineapple Express, Talladega Nights and Dodgeball. With Steppenwolf, Cole has appeared in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Closer and Balm In Gilead, and he also founded the Remains Theatre Ensemble, with whom his credits include American Buffalo and Speed The Plow.
Cole joins a cast that also includes Tony Award-winners Deanna Dunagan and Rondi Reed, who triumphed at the Broadway equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Awards earlier this year. The pair collected the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Dunagan) and Featured Role (Reed) awards for their performances in August: Osage County in New York. The production also won Best Direction for Anna D Shapiro, who takes charge again at the National Theatre, and Best Play.
The London cast also includes Ian Barford, Kimberley Guerrero, Mariann Mayberry, Michael McGuire, Amy Morton, Sally Murphy, Jeff Perry, Molly Ranson, Troy West and Paul Vincent O’Connor.
The comic drama, by playwright Tracy Letts, follows the unexpected reunion of the Weston family, which comes together following the disappearance of its father. But with everyone collected under one roof, the family home erupts as repressed truths and unsettling secrets are exposed.
August: Osage County opens at the National’s Lyttelton theatre on 26 November.
MA