TRUE WEST (GAMM Theatre)

April 15, 2019April 17, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Steve Kidd, Anthony Goes, Rae Mancini in Gamm’s ‘True West’

Reviewed by Tony Annicone

GAMM Theatre’s closing show of their 34th season in their new theatre in Warwick is “True West” by Sam Shepard. It was a 1983 Finalist for Pulitzer Prize. “True West” is about a young ambitious writer and his brother who is a drifter and petty thief who has been living in the desert and takes place in 1980 about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. The screenwriter, Austin meets his producer to discuss his script but Austin’s unscrupulous brother, Lee usurps the meeting and hijacks the producer into accepting his “script” about the West which hasn’t even been written yet. Sibling rivalries abound and a certain Cain and Abel dynamic occurs. Complications ensue during a long exposition and talky first act. The meat of this show is seen in the dynamics of Act 2 which eventually explodes in the pent up violence between the two brothers. The awesome fighting is choreographed by Normand Beauregard and leaves the audience mesmerized by it. Director Tony Estrella brings out the best in his four performers. The incredible set is by Michael McGarty and the marvelous mood lighting is by Jeff Adelberg.

Gloucester’s TRUE WEST a True Classic

July 29, 2018August 29, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

By Sheila Barth

BOX INFO: Sam Shepard’s two-hour, two-act Modern American classic play, starring Nael Nacer and Alexander Platt, through Sept, 8, Wednesday-Saturday,7:30 p.m., matinees Saturday, Sunday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, free post-show discussion with the artists. Gloucester Stage Company, 267 E. Main St., Gloucester. $35-$45, senior, veteran, under 18 discount tickets offered. gloucesterstage.com 978-281-4433.

Whatever you do, try to see Gloucester Stage Company’s explosive, dynamic, two-hour, two-act production of prolific author Sam Shepard’s Modern American classic play, “True West”. Starring Nael Nacer in the role of Lee, desultory drifter and petty thief, and Alexander Platt portraying Austin, Lee’s younger successful and talented author brother, (with direction by Joe Short), their riveting performances will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Hub Theatre Searches for Meaning Out West

April 18, 2018 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Review by James Wilkinson

True West is presented by Hub Theatre Company. Written by Sam Shepard. Directed by Daniel Bourque. Set Design by Ben Lieberson. Lighting Design by Chris Bocchiaro. Costume Design by Nancy Ishihara. Sound Design by Jay Mobley. Props Design by Cesara Walters and Valerie Tracy. Fight Director: Samantha Richert. Presented by Hub Theatre Company at First Church in Boston, April 13-28, 2018.

I’m gonna miss Sam Shepard like hell. I never met the man, but I’ve been reading and rereading his plays since discovering them in college. Before his death in 2017 he had written over fifty plays in a career that spans just as many years. In that time he managed to leave his own distinct mark on American theater, providing a theatrical vision inspired by the myths of the American west. In much of his best work he examines and deconstructs what should be comforting and stable environments to expose an undercurrent of violence waiting to explode. And he does this while also occasionally taking the time to be howlingly funny. To the best of my recollection, it’s been a while since Boston theater has seen a production of a Shepard play, (I offer my profound apologies if there’s a production that I have overlooked/forgotten). Thankfully, Hub Theatre Company has taken up the cause with their fantastic new production of Shepard’s True West, now playing at First Church in Boston. For Shepard fans, the production is a gift. For those unfamiliar with his work, now’s the time to get on board.