True West (1980) by Sam Shepard Part 1

True West (1980) by Sam Shepard Characters AUSTIN: early thirties, light blue sports shirt, light tan cardigan sweater, clean blue jeans, white tennis shoes LEE: his older brother, early forties, filthy white t-shirt, tattered brown overcoat covered with dust, dark blue baggy suit pants from the Salvation Army, pink suede belt, pointed black forties dress shoes scuffed up, holes in the soles, no socks, no hat, long pronounced sideburns, "Gene Vincent" hairdo, two days' growth of beard, bad teeth SAUL KIMMER: late forties, Hollywood producer, pink and white flower print sports shirt, white sports coat with matching polyester stacks, black and white loafers MOM: early sixties, mother of the brothers, small woman, conservative white skirt and matching jacket, red shoulder bag, two pieces of matching red luggage SCENE: All nine scenes take place on the same set; a kitchen and adjoining alcove of an older home in a Southern California suburb, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. The kitchen takes up most of the playing area to stage left. The kitchen consists of a sink, upstage center, surrounded by counter space, a wall telephone, cupboards, and a small window just above it bordered by neat yellow curtains. Stage left of sink is a stove. Stage right, a refrigerator. The alcove adjoins the kitchen to stage right. There is no wall division or door to the alcove. It is open and easily accessible from the kitchen and defined only by the objects in it: a small round glass breakfast table mounted on white iron legs, two matching white iron chairs set across from each other. The two exterior walls of the alcove which prescribe a corner in the upstage right are composed of many small windows, beginning from a solid wall about three feet high and extending to the ceiling. The windows look out to bushes and citrus trees. The alcove is filled with all sorts of house plants in various pots, mostly Boston ferns hanging in planters at different levels. The floor of the alcove is composed of green synthetic grass. All entrances and exits are made stage left from the kitchen. There is no door. The actors simply go off and come onto the playing area. NOTE ON SET AND COSTUME: The set should be constructed realistically with no attempt to distort its dimensions, shapes, objects, or colors. No objects should be introduced which might draw special attention to themselves other than the props demanded by the script. If a stylistic "concept" is grafted onto the set design it will only serve to confuse the evolution of the characters' situation, which is the most important focus of the play. Likewise, the costumes should be exactly representative of who the characters are and not added onto for the sake of making a point to the audience. NOTE ON SOUND: The Coyote of Southern California has a distinct yapping, doglike bark, similar to a Hyena. This yapping grows more intense and maniacal as the pack grows in True West 2 numbers, which is usually the case when they lure and kill pets from suburban yards. The sense of growing frenzy in the pack should be felt in the background, particularly in Scenes 7 and 8. In any case, these Coyotes never make the long, mournful, solitary howl of the Hollywood stereotype. The sound of Crickets can speak for itself. These sounds should also be treated realistically even though they sometimes grow in volume and numbers. Act 1, Scene I Night. Sound of crickets in dark. Candlelight appears in alcove, illuminating AUSTIN, seated at glass table hunched over a writing notebook, pen in hand, cigarette burning in ashtray, cup of coffee, typewriter on table, stacks of paper, candle burning on table. Soft moonlight fills kitchen illuminating LEE, beer in hand, six-pack on counter behind him. He's leaning against the sink, mildly drunk, takes a slug of beer. LEE: So, Mom took off for Alaska, huh? AUSTIN: Yeah. LEE: Sorta' left you in charge. AUSTIN: Well, she knew I was coming down here so she offered me the place. LEE: You keepin' the plants watered? AUSTIN: Yeah. LEE: Keepin' the sink clean? She don't like even a single tea leaf in the sink ya' know. AUSTIN: (trying to concentrate on writing) Yeah, I know. (pause) LEE: She gonna' be up there a long time? AUSTIN: I don't know. LEE: Kinda' nice for you, huh? Whole place to yourself. AUSTIN: Yeah, it's great. True West 3 LEE: Ya' got crickets anyway. Tons a' crickets out there. (looks around kitchen) Ya' got groceries? Coffee? AUSTIN: (looking up from writing) What? LEE: You got coffee? AUSTIN: Yeah. LEE: At's good. (short pause) Real coffee? From the bean? AUSTIN: Yeah. You want some? LEE: Naw. I brought some uh--(motions to beer) AUSTIN: Help yourself to whatever's--(motions to refrigerator) LEE: I will. Don't worry about me. I'm not the one to worry about. I mean I can uh--(pause) You always work by candlelight? AUSTIN: No--uh--Not always. LEE: Just sometimes? AUSTIN: (puts pen down, rubs his eyes) Yeah. Sometimes it's soothing. LEE: Isn't that what the old guys did? AUSTIN: What old guys? LEE: The Forefathers. You know. AUSTIN: Forefathers? LEE: Isn't that what they did? Candlelight burning into the night? Cabins in the wilderness. AUSTIN: (rubs hand through his hair) I suppose. LEE: I'm not botherin' you am I? I mean I don't wanna break into yer uh--concentration or nothin'. AUSTIN: No, it's all right. LEE: That's good. I mean I realize that yer line a' work demands a lota' concentration. AUSTIN: It's okay. True West 4 LEE: You probably think that I'm not fully able to comprehend somethin' like that, huh? AUSTIN: Like what? LEE: That stuff yer doin'. That art. You know. Whatever you call it. AUSTIN: It's just a little research. LEE: You may not know it but I did a little art myself once. AUSTIN: You did? LEE: Yeah! I did some a' that. I fooled around with it. No future in it. AUSTIN: What'd you do? LEE: Never mind what I did! Just never mind about that. (pause) It was ahead of its time. (pause) AUSTIN: So, you went out to see the old man, huh? LEE: Yeah, I seen him. AUSTIN: How's he doing? LEE: Same. He's doin' just about the same. AUSTIN: I was down there too, you know. LEE: What d'ya' want, an award? You want some kinda' medal? You were down there. He told me all about you. AUSTIN: What'd he say? LEE: He told me. Don't worry. (pause) AUSTIN: Well-LEE: You don't have to say nothin'. AUSTIN: I wasn't. LEE: Yeah, you were gonna' make somethin' up. Somethin' brilliant. True West 5 (pause) AUSTIN: You going to be down here very long, Lee? LEE: Might be. Depends on a few things. AUSTIN: You got some friends down here? LEE: (laughs) I know a few people. Yeah. AUSTIN: Well, you can stay here as long as I'm here. LEE: I don't need your permission do I? AUSTIN: No. LEE: I mean she's my mother too, right? AUSTIN: Right. LEE: She might've just as easily asked me to take care of her place as you. AUSTIN: That's right. LEE: I mean I know how to water plants. (long pause) AUSTIN: So you don't know how long you'll be staying then? LEE: Depends mostly on houses, ya' know. AUSTIN: Houses? LEE: Yeah. Houses. Electric devices. Stuff like that. I gotta' make a little tour first. (short pause) AUSTIN: Lee, why don't you just try another neighborhood, all right? LEE: (laughs) What'sa' matter with this neighborhood? This is a great neighborhood. Lush. Good class a' people. Not many dogs. AUSTIN: Well, our uh--Our mother just happens to live here. That's all. True West 6 LEE: Nobody's gonna' know. All they know is somethin's missing. That's all. She'll never even hear about it. Nobody's gonna' know. AUSTIN: You're going to get picked up if you start walking around here at night. LEE: Me? I'm gonna' git picked up? What about you? You stick out like a sore thumb. Look at you. You think yer regular lookin'? AUSTIN: I've got too much to deal with here to be worrying about-LEE: Yer not gonna' have to worry about me! I've been doin' all right without you. I haven't been anywhere near you for five years! Now isn't that true? AUSTIN: Yeah. LEE: So you don't have to worry about me. I'm a free agent. AUSTIN: All right. LEE: Now all I wanna' do is borrow yer car. AUSTIN: No! LEE: Just fer a day. One day. AUSTIN: No! LEE: I won't take it outside a twenty mile radius. I promise ya'. You can check the speedometer. AUSTIN: You're not borrowing my car! That's all there is to it. (pause) LEE: Then I'll just take the damn thing. AUSTIN: Lee, look--I don't want any trouble, all right? LEE: That's a dumb line. That is a dumb fuckin' line. You git paid fer dreamin' up a line like that? AUSTIN: Look, I can give you some money if you need money. (LEE suddenly lunges at AUSTIN, grabs him violently by the shirt and shakes him with tremendous power) True West 7 LEE: Don't you say that to me! Don't you ever say that to me! (just as suddenly he turns him loose, pushes him away and backs off) You may be able to git away with that with the Old Man. Git him tanked up for a week! Buy him off with yer Hollywood blood money, but not me! I can git my own money my own way. Big money! AUSTIN: I was just making an offer. LEE: Yeah, well keep it to yourself! (long pause) Those are the most monotonous fuckin' crickets I ever heard in my life. AUSTIN: I kinda' like the sound. LEE: Yeah. Supposed to be able to tell the temperature by the number a' pulses. You believe that? AUSTIN: The temperature? LEE: Yeah. The air. How hot it is. AUSTIN: How do you do that? LEE: I don't know. Some woman told me that. She was a Botanist. So I believed her. AUSTIN: Where'd you meet her? LEE: What? AUSTIN: The woman Botanist? LEE: I met her on the desert. I been spendin' a lota' time on the desert. AUSTIN: What were you doing out there? LEE: (pause, stares in space) I forgit. Had me a Pit Bull them for a while but I lost him. AUSTIN: Pit Bull? LEE: Fightin' dog. Damn I made some good money off that little dog. Real good money. (pause) AUSTIN: You could come up north with me, you know. True West 8 LEE: What's up there? AUSTIN: My family. LEE: Oh, that's right, you got the wife and kiddies now don't ya'. The house, the car, the whole slam. That's right. AUSTIN: You could spend a couple days. See how you like it. I've got an extra room. LEE: Too cold up there. (pause) AUSTIN: You want to sleep for a while? LEE: (pause, stares at AUSTIN) I don't sleep. (lights to black) Scene 2 Morning. AUSTIN is watering plants with a vaporizer, LEE sits at glass table in alcove drinking beer. LEE: I never realized the old lady was so security-minded. AUSTIN: How do you mean? LEE: Made a little tour this morning. She's got locks on everything. Locks and double-locks and chain locks and--What's she got that's so valuable? AUSTIN: Antiques I guess. I don't know. LEE: Antiques? Brought everything with her from the old place, huh. Just the same crap we always had around. Plates and spoons. AUSTIN: I guess they have personal value to her. LEE: Personal value. Yeah. Just a lota' junk. Most of it's phony anyway. Idaho decals. Now who in the hell wants to eat offa' plate with the State of Idaho starin' ya' in the face. Every time ya' take a bite ya' get to see a little bit more. AUSTIN: Well it must mean something to her or she wouldn't save it. True West 9 LEE: Yeah, well personally I don't wann' be invaded by Idaho when I'm eatin'. When I'm eatin' I'm home. Ya' know what I'm sayin'? I'm not driftin', I'm home. I don't need my thoughts swept off to Idaho. I don't need that! (pause) AUSTIN: Did you go out last night? LEE: Why? AUSTIN: I thought I heard you go out. LEE: Yeah, I went out. What about it? AUSTIN: Just wondered. LEE: Damn coyotes kept me awake. AUSTIN: Oh yeah, I heard them. They must've killed somebody's dog or something. LEE: Yappin' their fool heads off. They don't yap like that on the desert. They howl. These are city coyotes here. AUSTIN: Well, you don't sleep anyway do you? (pause, LEE stares at him) LEE: You're pretty smart aren't ya? AUSTIN: How do you mean? LEE: I mean you never had any more on the ball than I did. But here you are gettin' invited into prominent people's houses. Sittin' around talkin' like you know somethin'. AUSTIN: They're not so prominent. LEE: They're a helluva' lot more prominent than the houses I get invited into. AUSTIN: Well you invite yourself. LEE: That's right. I do. In fact I probably got a wider range a' choices than you do, come to think of it. AUSTIN: I wouldn't doubt it. True West 10 LEE: In fact I been inside some pretty classy places in my time. And I never even went to an Ivy League school either. AUSTIN: You want some breakfast or something? LEE: Breakfast? AUSTIN: Yeah. Don't you eat breakfast? LEE: Look, don't worry about me pal. I can take care a' myself. You just go ahead as though I wasn't even here, all right? (AUSTIN goes into kitchen, makes coffee) AUSTIN: Where'd you walk to last night? (pause) LEE: I went up in the foothills there. Up in the San Gabriels. Heat was drivin' me crazy. AUSTIN: Well, wasn't it hot out on the desert? LEE: Different kinda' heat. Out there it's clean. Cools off at night. There's a nice little breeze. AUSTIN: Where were you, the Mojave? LEE: Yeah. The Mojave. That's right. AUSTIN: I haven't been out there in years. LEE: Out past Needles there. AUSTIN: Oh yeah. LEE: Up here it's different. This country's real different. AUSTIN: Well, it's been built up. LEE: Built up? Wiped out is more like it. I don't even hardly recognize it. AUSTIN: Yeah. Foothills are the same though, aren't they? LEE: Pretty much. It's funny goin' up in there. The smells and everything. Used to catch snakes up there, remember? AUSTIN: You caught snakes.