Lesley Manville and Anna Maxwell Martin to lead revival of August: Osage County
By Laura Harding, Press Association Entertainment Editor
Lesley Manville and Anna Maxwell Martin will star in Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize winning play August: Osage County when it opens in the West End next year, it has been announced.
Regarded by many as one of the defining American plays of the 21st century, August: Osage County follows the dysfunctional Weston family as they reunite a their Oklahoma home for a funeral.
The play, which has already had runs on Broadway and at the National Theatre, will open at the Noel Coward Theatre in January 2027, directed by Jeremy Herrin.
It will mark the first time it has been performed in the capital in almost 20 years.
The Crown star Manville, who recently won a Tony for her role as Jocasta in the Broadway transfer of Robert Icke’s Oedipus, will play matriarch Violet Weston, alongside Motherland star Maxwell Martin as Barbara Fordham.
A 2013 film adaptation of the play starred Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in the roles.
Manville said: “I’m delighted to be taking on August: Osage County with Jeremy Herrin directing.
“It’s an epic piece of American literature written by the truly great Tracy Letts.
“It has not been seen in London for almost 20 years, so I cannot wait to bring this complex, funny, tragic, ultimate family saga to the West End and create the matriarch, Violet Weston.”
Director Herrin added: “August: Osage County is one of the great plays of our time, and it firmly places Tracy Letts as heir to O’Neill, Miller and Williams in the continuum of the best American playwrights.
“It’s a darkly funny and gripping family drama that transcends its form.
“As a brilliant actor himself and long-standing member of Steppenwolf, Tracy knows how to write for actors.
“I’m excited to bring together a fantastic ensemble for the first major revival of this play.
“I’m thrilled to be reunited with Lesley Manville after her Tony Award win, and I can’t wait to see her square up against Anna Maxwell Martin, whose work I’ve long admired.
“I’ve loved this play since I saw it on Broadway in 2008, and I can’t wait to explore all its twists and turns in the Noel Coward Theatre, the perfect space for this searing and epically entertaining show.”
Letts received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama the play, which he also adapted for the big screen.
The show was nominated for seven Tony Awards and won six, including best play.
It opened at the National Theatre in November 2008, with a number of the Broadway cast reprising their roles.
Letts is also a prolific actor, best known for roles in Homeland, Lady Bird and The Big Short.
August: Osage County will run at the Noel Coward Theatre from January 18 2027 to April 10 2027, with press night on January 26.
Tickets go on sale at 12pm on July 17th, 2026.
