True West is a play by the American playwright Sam Shepard, which follows the sibling rivalry between estranged brothers Austin and Lee, who have reconnected.
It is set in California, about 20 miles outside of Los Angeles in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, at their mother's home.
The play revolves around the volatile relationship between two brothers, Lee and Austin, as they navigate their contrasting lifestyles and aspirations while staying in their mother's house.
Shephard's writing in True West is characterized by its raw, gritty realism, as well as its dark humor and psychological depth.
The play also deals with the portrayal of sibling rivalry and the complexities of masculinity and is considered a staple of contemporary theater.
In the final scene, the house is in shambles and Lee and Austin are working vigorously on their script when their mother walks in, suitcases in hand.
[5] It was originally directed by Robert Woodruff and starred Peter Coyote as Austin, Jim Haynie as Lee, Tom Dahlgren as Saul Kimmer and Carol McElheney as Mom.
[6] This production premiered off-Broadway at Joseph Papp's The Public Theater, opening on December 23, 1980, and closing on January 11, 1981.
[7] It was produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1982, with the then fairly unknown actors Gary Sinise (who also directed the production) and John Malkovich playing the leads.
[11] Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly played the leads on Broadway, where they switched parts during the run.
[13] Bruce Willis and Chad Smith starred in a filmed version of the play, which was shown on Showtime in August 2002.
The play was filmed in front of a live audience and directed by Gary Halvorson with Andrew Alburger and Danielle Kennedy in supporting roles.
Directed by John Schlesinger, the cast starred Bob Hoskins as Lee and Antony Sher as Austin, with Patricia Hayes as Mom and Shane Rimmer as Saul.
[17] The Donmar Warehouse presented the play in 1994, starring Mark Rylance and Michael Rudko, directed by Matthew Warchus.
Matt Wolf called the Donmar Warehouse production a "blazing revival", "one of the best-attended of [Sam] Mendes' early years".
[20] Wilson Milam directed a production at the Bristol Old Vic in November 2003, with Phil Daniels as Lee and Andrew Tiernan as Austin.
[21] The British Theatre Guide reviewer noted, "The design, by Dick Bird, who was responsible for the much-admired Great Expectations at the Old Vic earlier this year, is excellent.
The production caused the Bristol Old Vic to remove the first three rows of seats for fear that the audience would be harmed and to install a Perspex shield for safety reasons.
It received much critical acclaim from the British national press and was cited as "Pick of the Week" in The Guardian newspaper (October 27, November 2, 2003).
Soulpepper, Toronto's largest theatre company, presented Patricia Hamilton, Stuart Hughes and Mike Ross in a production directed by Nancy Palk at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, running in April – May 2013.
[24] The Citizen's Theatre in Glasgow presented True West in October 29 – November 16, 2013, directed by Philip Breen, starring Alex Ferns and Eugene O'Hare.
The Vaudeville Theatre in London presented the first West End production of the play which ran from 23 November 2018 to 23 February 2019.
Directed by Matthew Dunster, the production starred Kit Harington as Austin and Johnny Flynn as Lee.
[28] The Roundabout Theater Company produced the play on Broadway with Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano, which ran from December 27, 2018, to March 17, 2019.
[29] A production directed by Braden Abraham ran as part of the Seattle Repertory Theatre's 2019–2020 season, between January 17 and February 16, 2020.