play it, sam

Our summer of diverse theater experiences continues, this time with one of the more well-known works of contemporary playwright Sam Shepard, who is also an actor and actress Jessica Lange's other half.  Back in the late '80s, I became sort of obsessed with Sam Shepard plays and have read most of them but, until last night, hadn't actually seen any of them on stage.

Torch Theater Company is staging True West at the Minneapolis Theater Garage, a very small venue, but the performance turned out to be first-class. The two local actors in this picture play brothers who, shall I say, do not get along well at all.  There is a lot of shouting, throwing and breaking things, and rough play, and it somehow all adds up to wonderful, well-written entertainment.  If you are anywhere near the Twin Cities between now and September 24 and are looking for some inexpensive, quality entertainment, we highly recommend this show.