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Put together a great Sam Shepard script, four talented actors, a talented director, and a fledgling theatre group formed as an outlet for experimentation, and you're assured a great evening of theatre. Right? Well, not necessarily. Despite all of this and more going for Sudden Death Pictures' production of Sam Shepard's tragicomedy "True West," miscasting, wild blocking, and profoundly odd choices turn a sure thing sour.
Set in modern day Los Angeles, the show deals with two brothers, mirror images of each other. Austin, the educated and nearly successful screenwriter, caring for their mothers' house while she is away in Alaska, is intent on pitching a romantic, old west screenplay to a shady producer. Unexpectedly, he is visited by older brother Lee, an uneducated drifter who takes after their shiftless father. Lee has returned from a trek in the desert, where he lived off of his wiles and the winnings of his fighting pitbull. After an uneasy welcoming, Lee returns early from casing neighboring houses for valuables and interrupts Austin and Saul at the end of their negotiations. Lee pitches an idea of a screenplay about the "real" west, and sets a golf date with Saul, angering the meek Austin. From there, family tensions rise until the final epic battle in the litter-filled shambles of their childhood home. Though billed by Sudden Death Productions as a comedy, there is more than humor involved in the piece, and has great roles for two solid actors.
Unfortunately, the two solid actors, who also produced this piece, are woefully miscast, despite how much alike they look. Richard Trujillo, a ten-year veteran of Phoenix theatre who will be leaving for L.A. after this production, plays Austin as a wounded puppy, shrinking a bit too much from his brother's bullying. The hesitations he has with all of the swipes his brother takes at him and his pampered upbringing makes him so meek, it tips the balance of the piece and makes unbelievable his final explosion.
Befuddling is the best way to describe the performance of Michael Tassoni as the wild-man Lee. Despite his pronouncements of his knowledge of the "True West," Mr. Tassoni plays Lee as part hick, part punk. No tobacco-chewing, ten-gallon-hat-wearing stereotype, Mr. Tassoni's Lee is instead better suited in "A Clockwork Orange." His indecipherable accent and his grandiose presentation are completely the opposite of what one would expect from a Western drifter. Despite the oddness of Mr. Trujillo's and Mr. Tassoni's choices, it is clear that these actors spent a lot of time with the work, and were there throughout the performance. At least this is better and more entertaining than two perfect and heartless walk-through presentations.
The supporting cast fared a bit better, though Mike Lawler's Saul is a bit too polished and refined in the part of the shady producer. Janet Arnold's presentation of Mom is solid, though a bit hesitant.
Upon reading the program and discovering that Messrs. Trujillo and Tassoni were also the producers, Matthew Mazuroski's directorial role becomes suspect. By the end of the play, the brothers are locked in a violent, drunken battle that actually spills off of Mr. Mazuroski's three-quarter thrust stage. Pencils, phones, plants and even tables wound up at the audiences' feet. At one point, my companion was afraid that a wildly swung telephone would smack her. This type of fight scene would have been a directorial nightmare, but there was the sense that these were two actors getting a bit too into their roles, heedless of the blocking given by Mr. Mazuroski. Such is a justifiable conclusion to be drawn in this type of actor/producer situation.
As much as the odd choices and over-the-top ending drag this production down, it's still a better situation than a measured and unfelt presentation. It's more enjoyable to watch actors and fault their choices than to watch actors who've made no choices at all. This production of "True West" has the look and feel of an acting workshop, and despite everything, fans of Sam Shepard or the talented cast might enjoy watching this show to see a different interpretation of a modern classic. Just be prepared for a little impromptu audience participation if you sit in the front row.
Production Details:
"True West" by Sam Shepard
Sudden Death Pictures
Helen K. Mason Center for the Performing Arts, Phoenix
November 21st-December 1st, 1996
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