True West, at the Verona Studio

The other one is scared too.

The Verona Studio’s production of Sam Shepard’s canonical play, True West, directed by Jenni Bertels, is very, very good. It did not blow me away, but two outstanding performances make this well worth your time.

If you did not read this play in college, the plot follows two brothers: Austin and Lee. Austin is kempt, educated, intellectual, and is attempting to close out a deal on a screenplay. Lee is rough, unwashed, uncivilized, and has spent the past several months living in the desert. The two collide, squabble, fight, and ultimately trade places.

What makes this production stand out is the performances. Seth Allen’s Austin, the younger brother, is the most sensitive and vulnerable Austin I have seen. He reacts like a victim, used to taking the hits in an abusive relationship, but still eager to please both the absent father and the more immediate threat of his overbearing brother. Allen’s beat changes in the second act (and drunk scene) are something to watch. Lance Nuttman’s Lee, the older, more aggressive brother, is just as vulnerable in his way, despite his tendency to threaten and bully anyone who comes into his circle. For a moment, Lee truly buys into Austin’s dream of building a better life, before slipping back into old habits. Both characters are scared little boys, lost in the desert.

The production also features strong performances from supporting cast members Ed Schoaps as Hollywood producer Saul, and Robynn Hayek as Lee and Austin’s mother. (Mom is always the cherry on the cake of this play: her entrance is unexpected no matter how many times you see it.)

Violence and the threat of violence permeate the stage from the very first moments. Full props go to Paul Malone’s fight choreography, which is realistic and intense. Unfortunately, as others have noted, I missed part of a key fight sequence when the actors went down to the floor. Theatre is always a matter of choices made within limitations; this may have been the best solution given the circumstances. If you go, sit close.

The directing updates the play by ten years to the early 1990s, although the change mostly impacts music and costuming. The core of the play remains the same. My main complaint with the production is the pacing. The first act ran a fast forty minutes—in fact, too fast. This play has pauses and breaths it needs to take; the final moment especially should linger on the retinas. The directing here skims over many of these moments, and I missed them. All the same, this is a strong production. True West plays through March 5.