True West

Overview

What happens when two brothers can't agree on the best way to get ahead in life? That's the question at the heart of True West, after Lee (Thomas Larkin) forms a 'gentleman's agreement' with a Hollywood producer on the ninth green, and then earns a bout of bitterness and resentment from his brother Austin (Julian Curtis).

If it sounds like a classic American tale — and one concerned with the popular topic of the American dream, too — then that's because it is. Indeed, before making its way to Brisbane Powerhouse courtesy of director Marcel Dorney and producers Troy Armstrong, Thomas Larkin and Annette Box, True West was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize back in 1983. It's also considered a modern masterpiece that charts a physical and psychological showdown of sibling rivalry.

Yep, True West comes with considerable history, with David Wenham and Philip Seymour Hoffman each taking on the play in previous stagings. And, it was written by Sam Shepherd, who not only won a Pulitzer for an earlier effort, but has been seen in everything from television's Bloodline to this year's sci-fi flick Midnight Special.

Image: Oliver Edwin