'True West' Explores America's Identity

"True West"
Carrboro ArtsCenter
Saturday, Jan. 11
Three Stars

The brainchild of American playwright and actor Sam Shepard, "True West," is considered one of the first plays to question truthfully the identity of contemporary America.

The Open Door Theatre's rendition of the play will begin its final run Thursday and will end Sunday. All showings are at 8 p.m. at the Carrboro ArtsCenter.

The problematic central issue of "True West" is uniquely American -- the nation is an offshoot of European tradition, adolescent and tentatively stepping into an already-developed world in search of its own definition.

In this sense, the spotlighted characters find themselves the unfortunate patriots of the American theme of dispossession.

Portraying the play's two brothers are actors Kevin Poole and Michael Babbitt, who establish a palpable tension between the characters.

These characters are few in number, allowing for rich development of who and what they are. Austin (Poole) is a calm-natured scriptwriter and lives isolated in his mother's desert home. His foil is his brother, Lee (Babbitt), a volatile criminal in a constant state of aimless wandering.

The nature of the conflict is offered only in ambiguous portions. Lee's combustible personality is fueled only by the cool-headed rationale of Austin, yet the factors of their turbulent past remain unspoken.

Progression of the play offers hints of an irresponsible, wayward father and an alienated mother, the gap between whom leaves a vacuum occupied only by the brothers and their resulting struggles.

Both are trapped in a funk, and each thinks the other has found a way out. Lee -- unable to progress anywhere within the realm of refined society -- views Austin's success with envy. At the same time, Austin romantically idealizes his brother's life of freedom from the prison of a shallow movie-industry lifestyle.

When pulled taut, Lee and Austin's relationship is able to elicit discomfort even within the voyeuristic safety of the audience. The characters violently interact with each other and the elaborate suburban set, leaving furniture upturned and their own appearances ravaged. As the play wages on toward ominous climax, the distance between Austin's reasoned purpose and Lee's passionate abandon disappears -- along with the audience's initial expectations.

But meanwhile, when the brothers' relationship slackens, the play's mood refreshingly digresses into moments of hope and the love that can only exist between family members. Their erratic use of the props offers relieving moments of humor, exemplified in Austin's drunken feast on the toast of a dozen stolen toasters.

For the most part, Babbitt's and Poole's portrayals are impeccable, but those of some of the minor characters interrupt the pace of the leads.

Moments of the mother's and movie producer's appearances feel awkward and confusing. The mother almost seems mentally disturbed, but it's unclear whether this was the creative intention.

Otherwise, the theater's "True West" is sound. It deals with valid and intelligent themes but leaves it to the audience to make sense of them.

Tickets to the play are $13 for general admission and $10 for students and ArtsCenter Friends. The ArtsCenter can be reached at 929-2787 for ticket reservations.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.