REVIEW - True West at Cloverdale Performing Arts - by Malena Eljumaily
The difference between seeing a play again and watching a movie more than once, is that the play will necessarily be different every time you see it. Even if it’s the same cast, a play is a living thing with changing moods and nuances. I’ve seen Sam Shepard’s
The play begins with the chirping of crickets as Austin (Rusty Thompson) attempts to work on his screenplay while his brother, Lee,(Robert Zelenka) rambles on about nothing. Though the siblings haven’t seen each other for five years it feels like they’ve picked up right where they left off in their relationship. As they talk, the audience gets to decide what the subtext of every interaction might be.
The two leads do a fine job of making us believe there is a long history between these men.
Robert Zelenka plays Lee with just the right amount of menace to create real unease, while not turning him into a cartoon villain. Even when he gets in his brother’s face and raises his voice to stentorian levels, we trust he won’t ever really harm his brother. Right?
Rusty Thompson has the difficult task of playing the younger brother who has certainly achieved more in life, has much more to show for himself, and yet will always have that subordinate role to Lee. Thompson makes Austin’s dramatic turn of personality believable because we can see from the start there is something lurking below his placid demeanor.
All this seething sibling rivalry is interrupted now and again. First, by Sal, (Jude Gibson) the Hollywood producer who swoops in and turns everything on its ear. Director Johnston adds a new dimension and sexual tension to the play by casting Sal as a woman. Gibson seems authentic in the role: tough and authoritative stacked on top of feminine.
The other interloper is Mom played endearingly by Marisha Zeffer. Who, despite her diminutive size, gives a big performance in the brief time she’s on stage.
As with most CPAC productions, the set is just what it needs to be: a suburban home with enough room for all the action and enough counter space for all the toasters. The electric typewriter that both brothers end up typing away at, suggests a time before PC’s but not the distant past. The costumes are decidedly 1980’s judging by Sal’s power suit with its notable shoulder pads, along with her wedgies.
As much tension as there is between Lee and Austin, it’s surprising how funny True West is. It’s also strangely whimsical at times. Sadly, we lost Sam Shepard only last year to complications from ALS. This production is a wonderful tribute to this great American playwright.
Running May 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30pm, May 20 and 27 at 2pm.
Cloverdale Performing Arts 209 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale CA 95425
TICKETS: (707) 894-2214 (msg) and on website
