TRUE WEST at the Crucible, Sheffield

Sam Shepard's TRUE WEST, directed by Paul Miller and co-starring Nigel Harman, is playing at
Sheffield's Crucible until June 5th.

Two brothers: Austin, a screenwriter who’s about to land his big break, Lee,
a small-time crook without a nickel to his name. When Lee returns home from the
Mojave Desert full of tales of the Wild West, his brother can hardly muster a
hello. But when a big shot movie producer prefers Lee’s experience to Austin’s
imagination, a battle for the heart of the American West begins. A darkly funny
story of sibling rivalry and Hollywood hypocrisy, set in the heat of the
Californian suburbs.

On performances marked *Nigel Harman, Harman will play Austin and John Light will play
Lee. On performances marked ^Nigel Harman, Harman]will play Lee and John Light will
play Austin. On Tuesday 18 May the roles will be decided by the toss of a coin.

The Star:

“... two men initially of very different outlook reveal themselves as having
more in common than they and we first realise to the extent that as the story
progresses we witness ... a swapping of characters as fortunes shift and
inadequacies emerge ... It is a tantalising prospect, not least because of the
physical differences between the men, to make director Paul Miller's cunning,
challenging initiative more than a marketing gimmick.”

The Stage:

"... Paul Miller’s direction plays it steady, a choice that actually
makes the explosive highlights even more remarkable in their intensity."

The Guardian:

"Austin stands for confined, suburban man who yearns ... to return to
nature. Meanwhile Lee ... pines for the material comfort of neat houses and
manicured lawns. Between them, implies Shepard, they embody the incompleteness
of American experience ... All this comes out strongly in Paul Miller's
production."