By ADAM CROWE
A Seat on the Aisle
It is likely that most Americans who recognize the name Sam Shepard probably do so as a result of his work as an actor. He lent able support in movies like Frances, Crimes of the Heart, and Steel Magnolias, and was Oscar nominated for playing Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff.
But before his movie career, Shepard was best known as a daring New York playwright. Starting in the 1960s, Shepard turned out a slew of edgy plays that included the Pulitzer Prize winning Buried Child in 1978. In 1980, Shepard wrote what would become one of his most produced plays, True West.
Carmel Community Players, under the direction of Eric Bryant, has brought this American classic to the Ivy Tech Auditorium stage in Noblesville. Set amidst the rivalry between two brothers, True West examines tensions – between fathers and sons, between siblings, and between artists and commerce. With the California desert as a backdrop, the play sets artist Austin and his drifter brother Lee on a collision course, to the tune of crickets and coyotes. Shepard creates a savage and darkly humorous version of the Cain and Abel story.
The brothers themselves are writer brother Austin, played neurotically by Robert Webster Jr., and his wandering brother Lee, played to surly perfection by Matthew Walls. Additionally, Saul, a Hollywood producer, is played by Gary Curto, and the boys’ mother is played by Missy Rump. Neither of these two characters is given a lot to do, though Saul’s involvement acts as a catalyst in determining the brothers’ story and their reversals.
(From left) Robert Webster Jr. as Austin and Matthew Walls as Lee in Carmel Community Players’ production of True West, on stage now through April 30. (Photo by Rob Slaven / Indy Ghost Light)
Technically, the scenic design by Ian Marshall-Fisher gives us a wonderful arena for the story, though perhaps almost too expansive for moments that needed to feel more claustrophobic. Eric Bowman’s props and Eric Matters’ lighting are on point. Lori Raffle’s sound was fine, but I felt there were times when it could have done even more to propel the story. Eric Bryant’s direction felt mostly solid, though the physical interactions of the brothers seemed more subdued than I expected.
Bottom line: a great playwright’s examination of what Americans value and how the family does or does not provide us solid foundations. While not as incendiary as it may have felt 42 years ago, True West is worth a look, and you have only Thursday through Sunday to take a peek.
Carmel Community Players’ production of Sam Shepard’s True West runs through April 30 at the Ivy Tech Auditorium in Noblesville, located at 300 N. 17th St. Tickets and further information can be found at carmelplayers.org or by calling (317) 815-9387.
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