True West
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £8.49
Publisher Description
Austin, working on his Hollywood screenplay, is disturbed by the arrival of his estranged brother, Lee, just returned from three months in the desert. During a brief spell of uneasy cohabitation in their absent mother's house, Lee employs himself as a door-to-door burglar before killing his brother's film idea by pitching his own to Austin's producer. But Lee is no writer and the brothers must strike a deal, escalating sibling rivalry to fever pitch in the blazing Californian heat.
Sam Shephard's True West was first performed at the Magic Theatre, San Francisco, in 1980 and has since become recognised as an American classic.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This compelling play opens in the kitchen of a modest, southwestern home that Austin, a brainy scriptwriter, has borrowed from his mother, who is traveling in Alaska. Austin is working on his latest project when his brother, Lee, turns up. They're not the best of friends. Lee is a petty thief and hustler, and when Austin's agent stops by to have him sign an agreement for a screenplay, Lee hustles the agent into accepting his own idea instead of Austin's. Things turn ugly as roles appear to reverse, but Shepard's intense humor embellishes the gripping anguish that results. This play is just right for audio production, since it takes place in one room; dialogue is its essence; and visuals are presented through sounds: the typewriter clicking, silverware clattering across the room, a toaster popping. Dean Cameron is dull as Austin's agent, but his role is small, as is Charlotte Rae's as Mom. Francis Guinan and Alfred Molina are formidable as Austin and Lee, respectively; their characters are entirely convincing and deeply moving, and their timing is superb.
