True West, written by Sam Shepard, is on stage at Fusion Theatre Company. Directed by Jacqueline Reid this production stars Ryan Jason Cook and Josh Heard, portraying two brothers.

The story revolves around these two brothers, Lee and Austin, as they house sit for their mother. Austin, a screenwriter, is trying to take care of the house and work on his current project, while Lee, a thief and drifter, simply wants to earn some money. However, when Lee walks in on Austin's meeting with a producer, he pitches an idea of his own, and the tables quickly turn as Lee must become a writer and Austin is left without prospects.

The story's concept has a lot of potential. However, the script leaves something to be desired. The characters spend the whole first act building tension, mainly by Lee starting arguments while Austin tries to remain calm. The constant fighting in the first act leaves the audience expecting a pay-off in the second act, but this pay-off never comes. The second act is practically the same as the first, with lots of fighting between the brothers and attempts at resolution that are never followed through. The ending ultimately leaves audience members feeling confused and unsatisfied.

The acting in this production serves its purpose; it tells the story that the writer was trying to tell. Ryan Jason Cook does an excellent job portraying Lee, the belligerent character. He makes Lee's sporadic actions seem natural. While the character is definitely combative, it never seems forced, rather it appears to follow a natural line of reasoning in this character's mind. Josh Heard, who plays Austin, also does a great job conveying emotion. The audience can feel his frustration with his brother and later on his desperation with his situation. Both actors also do a good job depicting their characters' comedic sides, using dry humor to offer comedic relief from the otherwise monotonous story.

The set sets the scene of the story very nicely. It composed of two notable sections, a kitchen area and a living room area complete with several potted plants that Austin attempts to care for throughout the story. One notable design element is that the plants serve to show the passage of time, as they are rotated, with one side showing healthy plants, and the other showing clearly dead ones. This shows the audience how much time had passed in a humorous but effective way.

Other notable design elements are the lighting and the windows. The set has multiple windows, one in the kitchen that opens to a mural of the desert, and several beautiful stained glass ones in the living area. These windows, paired with lights behind them, clue the audience in to what time of day it is and show time going by.

Overall, Fusion's True West tells Sam Shepard's story. The actors as well as the design elements all serve to further the plot, but, aside from some situational irony and dry humor, the monotonous script ultimately leaves the audience unsatisfied.

True West runs through September 22, 2024, at Fusion Theatre Company, The Cell, 700 1st. St. NW Albuquerque NM. For tickets and information, please visit www.fusionnm.org.