Austin is a screenwriter, house-sitting for his mother, on a trip to Alaska. In Southern California, not far from Los Angeles, the house is retro, reminiscent of domiciles from the 40’s and 50’s. The kitchen is bright, cozy and welcoming. Austin (Joey Folsom) is working on a script and conversing (more or less) with his brother Lee (Clay Yocum). Lee is hotheaded, fierce, with a hair-trigger temper. Would you like some breakfast? Shouting: Fuck you! I can do it myself. Lee has been living in the desert and returns to their erstwhile home, discovering mother isn’t there. Austin is hospitable, despite Lee’s bellicose swagger. They are brothers after all. Lee discovers Austin is expecting Saul (Michael Miller) his agent, who’s excited about his current screenplay. Austin asks Lee (politely) to make himself scarce, relinquishing access to his car keys. Somehow Lee manages to insinuate himself into the conversation. Playing golf the next day, Lee dazzles Saul with his informal “pitch”, behind Austin’s back.
You might say that Austin is Ego to Lee’s Id. Austin is cerebral. Lee is visceral. Austin is reasonable and polite, Lee is obnoxious and contentious. You could also compare them to Abel (Austin) and Cain (Lee). Austin has infinite patience for Lee’s endless rage, tirades and scorn.
He endures him but never corrects him. The longer we watch, the more we wonder why Austin wasn’t named Lee, and Lee, Austin. It’s as if each was taken from the other. As the plot unfolds, we see them trade places. When Lee tries to succeed as an author, and Austin tries to prove himself as a thief; neither of them has it solved. Lee needs Austin’s literacy and polish and Austin aches for the raw exhilaration of desperation. They aren’t so much different, as they are split. Polarized.
True West (by Sam Shepard) considers the myth of the cowboy west. The romantic notion that getting by on one’s wits (without pretense of grace or sophistication) is more authentic. Intellectualism is just snobbery, and civility a lie. Shepard exposes the flaws in this misconception. He reveals the fear behind violence. Lee gets Saul’s attention by describing his life in such explosive, primitive terms. He heaves a bomb right through the window of The Ladies Afternoon Bridge Club. The spirit of culture is dull. The spirit of the West is destitute.
I’ve been fortunate to see True West 3-4 times, over the years. Each production had its strengths. Thanks to the masterful, meticulous direction of Terry Martin, The Classics Theatre Project’s True West is one of the most solid, intuitive, jarring, tempestuous dramas I have witnessed. It waits and lurks just offstage. It grabs you by the lapels and shakes you. Hard. This is brilliant theatre.
Accolades to this diligent, dedicated, intrepid cast: Joey Folsom (Austin) Clay Yocum (Lee) Michael Miller (Saul) Allyn Carrell (Mom).
The Classics Theatre Project Presents: True West, playing July 12th –August 24th, 2024. Stone Cottage in Addison. 15650 Addison Rd, Addison, TX 75001. (214) 923-3619. tctpdfw@gmail.com. theclassicstheatreproject.com