Sudden Death Pictures' "True West" at the Helen K. Mason Center
for the Performing Arts
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
(out of )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