''The Tooth of Crime'' is a
musical play written by
Sam Shepard which made its premiere in
London's
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...
Open Space Theatre on July 17, 1972. It tells the story of aging
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
singer Hoss, doing battle with rival Crow.
Plot
The play is set in a vaguely described
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
future dominated by "The Game," a conflation of
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
and
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...
played by "Markers" under the direction of "The Keepers." Hoss has struggled to become the top Marker, only to find himself doubting his own abilities in the face of opposition from "Gypsies" who operate outside of the official rules.
Act 1: Eager to make an outing, Hoss is frustrated when the Star-Man advises him against it on the basis of his
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
. Hoss learns that his rival, Mojo Root Force, has encroached upon his territory in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
in a move of questionable legality. After getting word that a Gypsy from Vegas is on his way to attack him, Hoss calls an old friend, Little Willard, for backup, only to find that Willard has committed
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
due to his inability to cope with his status. These successive revelations exacerbate Hoss's self-doubt and his belief that the old way is dying, and he attempts to perk up his confidence by challenging the Gypsy to a
shiv
The word Shiv or shiv may refer to:
People with the name
* Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a West Indies cricketer nicknamed Shiv
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Shiv, a fictional location in Magic: The Gathering, see Dominaria
* Shiv, a villain in the ...
fight.
Act II: Before the duel (which has been changed from a shiv fight to battle of words under the guidance of an official referee) Hoss and Crow attempt to psych each other out. While Crow learns to imitate Hoss's walk and style, Hoss intimidates Crow by taking on the voice of an old Western gunslinger. Despite an ostensibly effective second round in which he takes on the voice of a Delta bluesman, Hoss loses the battle when Crow exposes Hoss's "Fear that he's crackin' busted in two." After killing the Ref, a desperate Hoss begs Crow to teach him the new style. Ultimately, however, he decides to commit his last authentic act by killing himself, for which Crow commends him. The play ends with Crow assuming his place on Hoss' throne, with Becky quickly shifting her loyalty.
Characters
Hoss – The world's top Marker, he is worried that the younger Gypsies are aiming to usurp his position. He often takes on the dialects of past myths, such as a Western gunfighter, a 1920s gangster, and a
Delta blues
Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...
singer. He resembles "a mean
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...
."
Crow – An upstart Gypsie Marker seeking to dethrone Hoss. He constantly speaks in a stylish, newfangled dialect. He is described as looking like
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
guitarist
Keith Richards.
Becky Lou – Hoss's girlfriend/manager.
Star-Man – An
astrologer
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...
who advises Hoss.
Galactic Jack – A
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
who advises Hoss by looking in the charts. He dresses like a
pimp
Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...
and speaks like
Wolfman Jack.
Cheyenne Hoss's driver and friend.
Doc Hoss's drug supplier/physician.
A Referee
Production history
''The Tooth of Crime'' was first performed at the Open Space,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
on July 17, 1972. The cast included:
*Hoss – Malcolm Storry
*Becky Lou – Petronella Ford
*Star-Man –
Michael Weller
Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include ''Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nominate ...
*Galactic Jack – Tony Milner
*Cheyenne – Tony Sibbalt
*Doc –
John Grillo
John Martin Grillo (born 29 November 1942, in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English actor.
Biography
Grillo was educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and while there was actively involved in student theatre. H ...
*Crow –
Dave Schofield Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
*Directed by
Charles Marowitz.
Shepard originally wrote the music for the play, which was performed by a group called Blunderpuss.
''The Tooth of Crime'' had its American premiere at the
McCarter Theater in November 1972.
In 1996, Shepard revised the play as ''Tooth of Crime: Second Dance'' (minus "The"), and the score was rewritten by
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...
. This version premiered in December 1996 at the Lucille Lortel Theater in Manhattan, directed by Bill Hart, and starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Kirk Acevedo. The New York Times' Ben Brantley questioned "if Mr. Shepard's changes in the script improve or mar it."
The original script was revived in 2006 for a production at LaMama E.T.C. (
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...
), in New York, as part of La MaMa's 45th-anniversary season. Directed by George Ferencz, it was a restaging of Ferencz's 1983 concert-style production, using many of the same cast members. According to the New York Times, this production "
ade
Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to:
Aeronautics
*Ada Air's ICAO code
*Aden International Airport's IATA code
*Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India
Medical
* Adverse Drug Event
*Antibody-dependent enhancement
*ADE ...
a compelling case for 'The Tooth of Crime' as one of Mr. Shepard’s best plays ... and perhaps the best American drama on the cancerous nature of fame."
[Two Satanic Majesties Request All-Devouring Fame](_blank)
Ben Brantley, Theater Review, The New York Times, October 9, 2006.
References
*
*Gilman, Richard. (1984) Introduction. ''Seven Plays'' by Sam Shepard. New York: Bantam.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tooth Of Crime, The
1972 musicals
West End musicals
Plays by Sam Shepard
Clark County, Nevada in fiction
Musicals set in Nevada