Sibling rivalry takes center stage in Sam Shepard’s gritty character study. Estranged brothers Austin and Lee have reconnected at their mother’s house in the Southern California desert. With their mother in Alaska, Austin is working on a promising screenplay and trying to ignore his alcoholic, criminally inclined brother. When Lee sabotages Austin’s movie deal to secure his own lucrative offer, the brothers confront the reality that they are more like each other than they thought. Like many of Shepard’s plays, there’s a slowly boiling tension underscoring True West that rises to a violent climax. Considered Shepard’s signature play, True West is a challenging star vehicle for two strong actors who can master the subtext and psychological complexities of the characters.
True West guide sections
