Sam Shepard, who died last year, was a playwright fascinated by America’s addiction to myths, especially about authenticity and masculinity. True West, which dates from 1980, is a portrait of two brothers — one an outlaw, the other a prim suburbanite — whose increasingly savage relationship embodies their country’s pent-up resentments. It’s also a great vehicle for actors, and the bankable duo in Matthew Dunster’s revival are Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn.
Playing against type, Harington brings a neurotic intensity to neat and finicky screenwriter Austin. With his mother away in Alaska, he has the run of her California condo (the homely but deliberately wonky design is by Jon Bausor). He’s busy scripting a romance that slick movie producer Saul seems to fancy. Yet the arrival of Lee, the roguish sibling he’s not seen in five years, throws him off course. They resume old arguments, and once Lee announces that he has a more potent ‘true-to-life’ story to tell (and sell), the brothers compete for Saul’s attention.
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The first half belongs to Flynn, whose slow movements and rasping drawl give the wild, wandering Lee real menace. It’s a performance that flirts with overripeness, but there’s a strong sense of his feral charisma, particularly when he notes that most murders occur within the supposedly comforting framework of family.
Gradually their roles reverse — each man trying on the other’s personality like a new suit that fits surprisingly well — and the second half is Harington’s. As Lee encroaches further and further on Austin’s professional territory, the Game of Thrones star gets to show off his comic chops. The funniest scene comes when Austin decides he can outdo Lee’s efforts as a burglar: he returns from a nicking spree with an absurdly large selection of electric toasters and sets about preparing a Jenga tower of toast.
The play itself can feel like a series of bizarre riffs, but is packed with similarly outrageous moments. Crucially, whether bickering about art or madly wielding golf clubs, the leads spark off each other, often to hair-raising effect.
Until Feb 23
