As most of us know, sibling rivalry can be a terrible thing. Deadly, even.
Such is the premise behind True West, now being performed at the Denver Victorian Playhouse in north Denver. Written by actor/playwright Sam Shepard, noted for his sharp-shooting portrayal of both the Old and the New West, this particular offering is a black comedy, with emphasis on the “black.” With lines wavering between hilarious and chilling, two top-notch actors, Nils Swanson and Brian Brooks, excel in the roles of the two brothers at odds from the first scene.
Nils Swanson as Lee and Brian Brooks, as Austin in ‘True West.’ Photo courtesy of Sarah Roshan.
The satire takes place in a suburban southern California kitchen during the 1980s, back in the day when people still used typewriters and dial phones. Austin (Brooks) and Lee (Swanson) have moved into their mother’s home temporarily while she is on an Alaskan vacation. Brother Austin is a serious Hollywood playwright working on a movie project potentially worth millions. Lee is a beer-guzzling drifter, almost a caricature of a do-badder who lives alone in the desert and works as a burglar in his spare time.
It’s immediately evident that Lee has always held the upper hand in the relationship.
The competition revs up when Lee convinces Austin’s producer, Saul, that he can write a “true western.” When Saul chooses Lee’s project over Austin’s, the heat is on and everything starts to unravel. The climax is reminiscent of a 1950s Western – a showdown between John Wayne or Gary Cooper and the bad guy on the streets of Laredo, or in this case, on the kitchen floor.
Many good things can be said about the production, which is handled quite professionally. The action keeps the audience riveted from start to finish. In fact, the intensity is a constant from beginning to end, which can be a bit disconcerting in a small theater. Both the set and sound effects are perfect, and the actors put their all into the performance. Terry Burnsed is believable as the producer and Linda Suttle does a creditable job with the ditzy mother.
One problem is the plot, which is complicated, surreal and a bit farfetched. (Not everyone will agree, since True West won a Tony Award in 2000.) It’s one thing to suspend belief, but in this case logic seems to have taken a time out and many unanswered questions remain after the finale. Behaviors sometimes seem out of character for the individual, such as Austin’s rapid personality disintegration upon Lee’s success or their mother’s reactions when she walks in on the chaos. The characters often appear too angry or violent to be funny, even considering the story line.
Black comedy teeters on a very fine line between humor and horror, and in this case the truly hilarious moments (aka Austin’s description of how their alcoholic father lost his false teeth in a bar) tend to get lost in all that testosterone. One wonders how these two people managed to survive to adulthood without killing each other. Thanksgiving dinners must have been a hoot.
Despite the flaws, the play is definitely worth seeing. True West resonates and inspires controversy, which is what theater is supposed to do. Otherwise, you might as well stay home and watch Jay Leno.
The Denver Victorian Playhouse
Tucked away in the basement of an old North Denver bungalow, The Denver Victorian Playhouse is a real find. In 1911, theater buff George Swartz built the playhouse in the basement of his new home on Hooker Street. From the miniature proscenium stage of the newly-christened Bungalow Theater, Swartz managed to stage all of Shakespeare’s plays, possibly the first Western theater to do so. After Swartz died in 1937, the building served as a meeting space until in 1956, when it was reestablished as a performing arts venue. Renamed the Gaslight in 1964, the theater gained national attention in 1964 under the direction of Paul Willet. From Willet’s death in 1984 until 2000, it became the Denver Victorian Playhouse under various managers. After being closed for five years, Wade and Lorraine Wood re-opened the theater in 2005.
The Denver Victorian Playhouse is a non-profit corporation with a 501(c)3 standing.
