Reviews

It is a gripping story of brotherly dispute wrapped around themes of losing the "Western Spirit", nature vs nurture, and loneliness. The characters are incredibly well-developed, and the brothers' relationship and tension feels worryingly true. It is tense, it is well-paced, but it is not without flaws. The main one is the ending:

The story doesn't get resolved, but in a sloppy way. It's not really artistic or insightful, it just feels desperate. The brothers attack each other, and the one perceived weak overpowers the one who has been bullying him, but where do you go from there? Sam Shepard really didn't know so the play just ends with them in a mock duel, but it does feel like he wrote himself into a corner and then ejected the story.

Overall, it's a good play with very clearly defined characters that I highly recommend checking out. It moves briskly, and never really drags. A lot of family disputes in plays can be exhausting, but not "True West", this one knows how to keep the tension high but never let it get monotonous.

Content Warnings

julwex's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

books_buds_n_brewskis's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Interesting stuff. Weird and surreal, yet grounded. It really is just two dudes yelling at each other though.

moberle's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fantastically dark and moody piece. A great case study for how to effectively develop characters and relationships while showing very little. This play takes place over a short time but it feels like Lee and Austin have been at each other's' throats for decades. Glad that there are plays out there that are just two dudes who hate each other.

monsieur_tunin's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emi24's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

gmpasodoble's review against another edition

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3.75

remembering when i saw greg in this and he told me his castmates thought i was his wife....

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