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True West  By  cover art

True West

By: Sam Shepard
Narrated by: Kit Harington,Johnny Flynn
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Publisher's summary

Kit Harington (Games of Thrones) and Johnny Flynn (Beast) smolder and burn as sparring brothers in Sam Shepard’s darkly comic 1980 drama. The Cain and Abel conflict is a showdown of sibling rivalry, to be sure, but also bears witness to a legacy of booze-fueled family brawls. As Harington and Flynn duel it out, they bring a cagey, wiry energy to director Matthew Dunster’s West End revival of this Pulitzer Prize finalist. The portrait of the estranged pair is a riveting study in contrasts as Harington’s successful screenwriter and Flynn’s scheming grifter explosively collide in the California desert. The scorched, arid setting is more than just a backdrop; its expanse and emptiness make it a palpable presence in a play about wounded masculinity and broken dreams. 

The live theatre production of True West was performed at the Vaudeville Theatre in London, United Kingdom, in 2019. It was produced by Joseph Smith and John Brant for Smith & Brant Theatricals and James Bierman for Empire Street Productions.   

Portions of this audio drama contain mature language and themes. Listener discretion is advised.  

©2019 Sam Shepard (P)2019 AO Media LLC

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Publisher's summary

Kit Harington (Games of Thrones) and Johnny Flynn (Beast) smolder and burn as sparring brothers in Sam Shepard’s darkly comic 1980 drama. The Cain and Abel conflict is a showdown of sibling rivalry, to be sure, but also bears witness to a legacy of booze-fueled family brawls. As Harington and Flynn duel it out, they bring a cagey, wiry energy to director Matthew Dunster’s West End revival of this Pulitzer Prize finalist. The portrait of the estranged pair is a riveting study in contrasts as Harington’s successful screenwriter and Flynn’s scheming grifter explosively collide in the California desert. The scorched, arid setting is more than just a backdrop; its expanse and emptiness make it a palpable presence in a play about wounded masculinity and broken dreams. 

The live theatre production of True West was performed at the Vaudeville Theatre in London, United Kingdom, in 2019. It was produced by Joseph Smith and John Brant for Smith & Brant Theatricals and James Bierman for Empire Street Productions.   

Portions of this audio drama contain mature language and themes. Listener discretion is advised.  

©2019 Sam Shepard (P)2019 AO Media LLC
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About the Performer

While still a student at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Kit Harington was cast as Albert in the smash production of War Horse, performing the lead role at the National Theatre and and the New London Theatre, now known as the Gillian Lynne Theatre, in the West End. In 2011, he landed the breakthrough role of Jon Snow in HBO's Game of Thrones. The wildly popular fantasy series, which won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2018, would bring him his first Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as nominations for several Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble in a Drama. He has continued to perform in television, on film, and on the London stage, most notably as the title role in Dr. Faustus and Austin in True West, and on television and film. Kit's film credits include Testament of Youth, Spooks: The Greater Good, 7 Days in Hell, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (as the voice of Eret).

About the Performer

Johnny Flynn is an actor, composer, and songwriter who has worked extensively across film, television, and theater. His film credits include Beast, Love Is Thicker Than Water, Clouds of Sils Maria, and Song One. On the stage, he has starred in Martin McDonagh’s hit Hangmen (both the West End and New York productions), Jerusalem (for which he received an Olivier Award nomination), The Low Road, Richard III, and Twelfth Night. On television, he has appeared in Vanity Fair, Genius: Einstein, Lovesick, Brotherhood, The Nightmare Worlds of H.G. Wells, and Detectorists. He has released five albums to date with his band Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit.

What listeners say about True West

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Screenwriters, golf and brother's hate

This theatre production include swearing, violence, and discussions on alcoholism. It you have an issue with any of that it may not be for you.

The story is two brothers who are catching up after a long time being separate. They have never got along and a lot of the problems and history boil to the surface here. One of the brothers is a success, currently house sitting for their mother, while working on a screenplay. When the other brother, generally a failure and criminal, starts interfering with the screen play and with the sale to a movie company the tension between the brothers rise quickly.

The story is interesting and intense. The tensions and hate between the two flies off the page. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what was happening next.

However, it also doesn't lend itself to audio only in places. There are sometimes gaps in audio when they are following stage movements, and so what is happening isn't clear. Other times there are things they are doing that isn't exactly clear because it's not in the dialogue. The sound effects help, but not fully. Visuals would help significantly. It''s not that you can't follow the story without visuals, it's just it's not always clear.

The acting by Harington, Flynn and others is really great. It is extremely well performed and the characters come to life. The emotions - the hate, disgust, excitement, anger etc. felt by the brothers is clear and palpable. It is extremely well acted.

The levels on the audio are not mixed great. Between scenes there is much, but it is mixed at a higher level than the other parts. After the first scene there is a really loud, booming, foreboding horn played. As it was the first time it really took me by surprise and actually hurt a little. Other times it is high energy exciting. But every time it is loud.

Personally I wasn't a fan of the sound production. There is also a huge 'wall of sound' to the whole production. Crickets in the background for entire scenes, type writer noise or other background noise and music.

This would be a play I would love to actually see on stage. As an audio only production, it is really good but not amazing.

[If you enjoy this review please check out my other reviews. I review a lot of small press and indie books - support the small guys and you may find something new you will love]

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310 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

The narration have me a headache

I might have enjoyed hearing this story if it wasn’t screamed in such an over the top fashion. I couldn’t wait for it to end, and when it did I was disappointed with the conclusion.

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78 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Awesome if you are into lots of yelling

I only made it halfway through. It was like being a bartender in a noisy bar and being forced to listen to drunk men yell at each other, in hopes of maybe getting a tip at the end. It wasn't worth waiting for the tip.

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77 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Y I K E S

A massacre of Shepard’s work. The American accents were so bad, I had to turn it off at 1:24.
Even though this was free this month, I overpaid...

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74 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Horrible

This performance was truly, deeply horrible! The book was free but I resent waisting one of my free choices on this book.
The acting was so bad that I couldn't get past the first 20 minutes. I knew after the first minute that I was in for some really bad voice acting but, I hoped that the story would compensate. IT DIDN'T. Don't get this audio book...even for free!

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61 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not A Great Story

With the exception of the mother I enjoyed the performance of the story, however, the story wasn't that great itself.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I'm glad that was free

That was probably the dumbest thing I think I have ever listened to. An episode of Sponge Bob has more intelligent than that. The actors did a really good job portraying idiots though.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Painful

That’s just it. It was painful to follow through to the end. Good thing it was short. Like listening to a couple of morons argue about which light beer is better for an hour and a half.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

what the heck was that?

that was odd and awkward. a waste of a free credit and I have a pretty open mind for audiobooks. this is the first free book that i actually HATED.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

like terrible community theater

The story line is awful. the characters are cheesy. the acting was mediocre at best. definitely not something I would recommend

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16 people found this helpful