While there are some real moments
of brilliance in the latest Playhouse Theatre production, True West,
from both leads Vincent Gale (Austin) and Brian Markinson (Lee), this tale of
(extreme) sibling rivalry is also host to supporting roles that are caricatures
which don’t ring true.
And because this is such a play of/for actors, unless the players can sustain
this brilliance for the full 90 minutes it is bound to come up short each and
every time. Fortunately for us the two leads manage, for the most part, to
sustain the intensity necessary to carry us to the end.
House-sitting for his Mom while she is in Alaska, son Austin has escaped his
wife and family to work on his first screenplay. Visited by his petty criminal
brother Lee, looking for a little larceny in his Mom’s suburbs, the two
brothers’ animosity and jealousy towards each other soon boils over.
Through what Austin sees as a con, Lee manages to convince movie producer Saul
Kimmer (Alec Willows) that his idea for a “true-to-life Western” has merit over
Austin’s story. With Austin believing Lee has tricked Saul into backing his
story, Lee is forced to try to write the screenplay without Austin’s assistance
while Austin takes up Lee’s world of petty theft.
It is at this point, where the two brothers essentially switch lives, where the
show really takes off. Playwright Sam Shepard described the play himself as a
battle between the two sides in all of us and it is when the brothers begin to
walk in each other’s shoes that this idea comes into full view for the audience.
By the end of the play, the two brothers have consumed enough alcohol that would
have put any real man in hospital, have almost killed each other and have ruined
their Mom’s home including the plants she missed so much that she returned early
from her vacation.
Vincent Gale and Brian
Markinson in True West
While the play would probably be considered a two-man show, it is appearance of
the ancillary characters (the movie producer and the Mom) that are a little
off-putting and one has to wonder why Shepard even bothered having them actually
making an appearance. Fortunately though these appearances are short and we can
get back the real action between Lee and Austin.
On a side note, True West marks the final production for outgoing
Artistic Director, Glynis Leyshon. Leyshon bid a tearful goodbye to the opening
night audience and received a well-deserved standing ovation (at last, a
standing ovation that is deserved) for her eleven years as the artistic guide to
the Playhouse. Leyshon has taken some heat over the years for her choices but
one cannot fault her for her passion and love of theatre in all its forms. She
will be missed.
True West continues at the Playhouse until April 19th. For
tickets and additional information visit the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
website at
http://www.vancouverplayhouse.com/.
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