Sam Shepard’s TRUE WEST, directed by Paul Miller and co-starring Nigel Harman, is playing at
Sheffield’s Crucible until June 5th.
Two brothers: Austin, a screenwriter who’s about to land his big break, Lee,
a small-time crook without a nickel to his name. When Lee returns home from the
Mojave Desert full of tales of the Wild West, his brother can hardly muster a
hello. But when a big shot movie producer prefers Lee’s experience to Austin’s
imagination, a battle for the heart of the American West begins. A darkly funny
story of sibling rivalry and Hollywood hypocrisy, set in the heat of the
Californian suburbs.
On performances marked *Nigel Harman, Harman will play Austin and John Light will play
Lee. On performances marked ^Nigel Harman, Harman]will play Lee and John Light will
play Austin. On Tuesday 18 May the roles will be decided by the toss of a coin.
The Star:
“… two men initially of very different outlook reveal themselves as having
more in common than they and we first realise to the extent that as the story
progresses we witness … a swapping of characters as fortunes shift and
inadequacies emerge … It is a tantalising prospect, not least because of the
physical differences between the men, to make director Paul Miller’s cunning,
challenging initiative more than a marketing gimmick.”
The Stage:
“… Paul Miller’s direction plays it steady, a choice that actually
makes the explosive highlights even more remarkable in their intensity.”
The Guardian:
“Austin stands for confined, suburban man who yearns … to return to
nature. Meanwhile Lee … pines for the material comfort of neat houses and
manicured lawns. Between them, implies Shepard, they embody the incompleteness
of American experience … All this comes out strongly in Paul Miller’s
production.”
