True West has had an interesting production history that suggests the secret to the play's success might lie in its sense of humor. True West was first performed in July of 1980 at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, where Shepard had for six years served as the playwright in residence. Directed by Robert Woodruff, this production was performed with well-known local actors and was very well-received. Reviewing the play for the journal Theatre, William Kleb noted that "the comic elements in True Wesfweve stressed" in this initial production.

Because of Shepard's rising status (he had won a Pulitzer Prize in 1979 for Buried Child), the play was then brought to New York City where, in the words of the Village Voice's Don Shewey, the play "had become a media event, breathlessly anticipated as the latest work by 'the hottest young playwright in America. '"In December the...