Brothers play stage brothers in dark comedy ‘True West’

Expect to see 30 stolen toasters and two drunken men flailing a golf club in “True West,” the Bloomington Playwrights Project’s upcoming production, Friday at the John Waldron Arts Center Rose Firebay Theater.

The BPP and Gunstar Productions have teamed up to put on the play by Sam Shepard, which explores themes of identity and the tenuous nature of personal reality.
This dark comedy revolves around the brothers’ sibling rivalry and eventual role reversal.

Austin, an aspiring writer who lives with his mother, is working on a screenplay for a potential multi-million-dollar movie deal when he’s surprised by a visit from his deadbeat brother Lee. Lee is a bum and a thief, and is jealous of his brother’s possible success.

Lee convinces the movie producer to pass on Austin’s project and hire him, instead, to write a new screenplay he calls a “true” western. The story comes to a head when the brothers face off in a western-style showdown.

“True West” has been performed and revived several times since its 1982 debut. It has starred many notable actors such as John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.

This time around, however, the play will star real-life brothers Gabe and Brett Gloden as Lee and Austin, respectively.

“Gabe was interested in doing a show with his brother, and we wanted a show that would be appropriate for both of them,” said Richard Perez, the play’s director and artistic director of the BPP.

Gabe Gloden, the show’s producer and managing director of the BPP, said he and his brother were brainstorming ideas, and Rich was the one to think of doing “True West.”
“I’d never acted with him before,” Gabe Gloden said. “It’s a lot like how we communicated when we were younger. It’s a lot of ‘Yeah, let’s do this’ or ‘Yeah, let’s do that’ or ‘No, that sucks.’”

The show is financed by the Gloden brothers, who formed Gunstar Productions as a vehicle for the project.

Citing the positive experience this show has been, Gabe Gloden said he and his brother will most likely continue working together, either producing
or performing.

The BPP, known for producing original works, is taking a brief departure from modern plays to help put on this classic. Instead of performing in their traditional space, this show will be in the Rose Firebay Theater at the John Waldron Arts Center.
Perez said the show has a lot to offer audiences.

“Great acting, great play, a small intimate show in the Firebay that really puts you in the middle of the action,” he said. “It’s fun and funny.”