Paramount Theatre: True West
Jack Ball and Ben Page
Paramount Theatre Presents TRUE WEST Review - Two Brothers In A Standoff
TLDR: Two estranged brothers show up at their mother’s house in the Los Angeles foothills - one an accomplished screenwriter and the other an off-the-grid petty thief. Trying to avoid conflict, the two dance around each other as they inhabit the same space until one is able to overtake the other and they send each other spiraling.
Jack Ball and Ben Page
Sibling Rivalry at Paramount Theatre
Two men stare at each other in a 70s style kitchen. One in pressed slacks, polo, and glasses. The other in a sweat stained t-shirt and unwashed hair holding a can of beer. Austin, played by Jack Ball, fidgets with his shirt and glasses toeing the line between not wanting to kick his brother out but also uncomfortable with him being there. Lee, played by Ben Page, stomps through the kitchen with a threatening presence - cracking open beer after beer, claiming his right to the familial house as well.
The two brothers feel like a case study of what happens when you have the same starting point of raising kids but then see how over time a mental illness affects people in different ways. Austin lives up North now and has the typical white picket fence life with a marriage, mortgage, and kids. Lee on the other hand sometimes doesn’t make an appearance for months as he lives out in the desert away from polite society. But when an opportunity arises for Lee to overtake Austin and for Austin to prove he’s just as tough as Lee, the two dance around each other trying to prove their worth to the other.
It Wasn’t The Toast’s Fault!
As Lee comes closer and closer to usurping Austin’s screenwriting deal, there’s a lot of mental and physical gymnastics these actors put themselves through. Lee swears he’s not there to mess anything up as Austin is housesitting for their mother. Austin even warns him not to draw too much attention to himself, but Lee still comes back with a stolen TV. Lee plays games with Austin’s agent much to Austin’s dismay, turning into a charming and affable dealmaker on the golf course.
When Ball feels like he’s losing control, he slips from his calm, cool, collected presence and starts taking big swigs from the bottle of whiskey. He clambers on top of the kitchen counters and rolls off onto the stools when he needs to get down. Page swings a golf club around, seemingly nonchalantly but still has a threatening undertone. When a challenge is issued, Austin can’t help but try and prove himself and steals dozens of toasters and proceeds to drunkenly make toast in every single one of them the next morning.
Austin wants the boundary-less life Lee has and Lee covets the stable life Austin has created. Underneath all surface level posturing and avoiding talking about serious issues, the two feel like they're in competition with each other. Page and Ball create a simmering, brotherly competitive tension as they circle each other ready to pounce at any moment.
Ben Page and Jack Ball
The After Party Thoughts
True West starts its emotions at a -10 with the brotherly tension and it’s all a down, down, downhill from there until we hit rock bottom. It’s not a particularly uplifting play, but it is a smart and cleverly crafted one. It shows how mental illness can be passed down through generations and even when one tries their best to break the cycle, one wrong move can bring them back to their worst habits.
In my opinion, the show is well acted by Ball and Page and I like the realistic set, especially the toasters being able to cook toast, but the play itself feels emotionally one note. It’s a downward spiral that doesn’t have a lot of emotional changes. That being said, if you like family dramas, True West would be a good fit for you.
SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED
Ben Page and Jack Ball
When
Now through August 31, 2025
Where
Copley Theatre
8 E Galena Blvd.
Aurora, IL 60506
Runtime: 2hrs, with an intermission
Tickets
$40+
Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (630) 896-6666 or through the Paramount Theatre website
Photos
Brett Beiner
CAST
Jack Ball (Austin)
Ben Page (Lee)
Joshua L. Green (Saul Kimmer)
Caron Buinis (Mom)
Vic Kuligoski (u/s Austin)
Joe Edward Metcalfe (u/s Lee, u/s Saul Kimmer)
Wendy Lee Evans (u/s Mom)
CREATIVE
Jim Corti (Director)
Creg Sclavi (Associate Director)
Lauren M. Nichols (Scenic Designer)
Stephanie Cluggish (Costume Designer)
Cat Wilson (Lighting Designer)
Forrest Gregor (Sound Designer)
Ivy Thomas (Properties Designer)
John Tovar (Fight Director)
Mary Zanger (Stage Manager)
Bridget Kearbey (Assistant Stage Manager)