True West, the Sam Shepherd Revival at the Roundabout
Photo credit: Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano in True West
Photography: Joan Marcus
True West, the Sam Shepherd revival produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, is a play filled with verbal and physical sparring by brothers who are as opposite as night and day, yet with proclivities in common, and a hell of a lot of toast.
The brothers, Lee and Austin, face off in their mother’s kitschy kitchen somewhere in California, re-living their past, and vying for their writing to be produced. It’s always interesting to see such diverse personalities, as we do with the rough Lee, played by Ethan Hawke and the more persnickety Austin, by Paul Dano. These brothers haven’t seen each other in years, and with personalities like oil and water, while their mother is away, they get together and clash.
Lee is often in trouble, and the serious Austin is a screenwriter working to get his script produced. Each actor brings unique qualities to the role, causing combustion when their characters’ rivalry explodes into a physical display of brotherly distaste. Although Lee is the ruffian, Austin, obsessed with toasters, breaks in to neighbor’s homes to procure their toasters and makes copious amounts of toast. Are we really more like our siblings, then we are different, no matter how opposite? True West deeply explores the dark side of that question.
I particularly liked the set design by Mimi Lien in this production. Kitschy indeed-with cherry wallpaper, and rounded cabinetry filled with dishes.
With fine acting by Hawke and Dano, the piece creates uber-family tension, filled with bursts of humor…and violence.
Directed by James Macdonald, True West plays through March 17.
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Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
