The Tooth of Crime
Encyclopedia
The Tooth of Crime is a musical play written by Sam Shepard
which made its premiere in London's
Open Space Theatre
on July 17, 1972. It tells the story of aging rock
singer Hoss, doing battle with rival Crow.
future dominated by "The Game," a conflation of rock music
and violence
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
. Hoss learns that his rival, Mojo Root Force, has encroached upon his territory in 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
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
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.
singer. He resembles "a mean Rip Torn
."
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
guitarist Keith Richards
.
Becky Lou - Hoss's girlfriend/manager.
Star-Man - An astrologer
who advises Hoss.
Galactic Jack - A disc jockey
who advises Hoss by looking in the charts. He dresses like a pimp
and speaks like Wolfman Jack
.
Cheyenne Hoss's driver and friend.
Doc Hoss's drug supplier/physician.
A Referee
on July 17, 1972. The cast included:
Shepard originally wrote the music for the play, which was performed by a group called Blunderbuss. In 1997, unhappy with the production as originally written, Shepard rewrote and updated the play as "The Tooth of Crime: Second Dance" and the score was rewritten by T-Bone Burnett
.
The original script was revived in 2006 for a production at LaMama E.T.C. (La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
), in New York, as part of La MaMa's 45th-anniversary season. Directed by George Ferencz, it was a restaging Ferencz's 1983 concert-style production, using many of the same cast members. According to the New York Times, this production "[made] 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."
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
which made its premiere in London's
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Open Space Theatre
Open Space Theatre
The Open Space Theatre was created by Charles Marowitz and Thelma Holt in 1968.It began in a basement on Tottenham Court Road in London, then transferred to an art deco post office on the Euston Road in 1976. Thelma attracted a team of volunteer architects and workers to build the theatre...
on July 17, 1972. It tells the story of aging rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer Hoss, doing battle with rival Crow.
Plot
The play is set in a vaguely-described science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
future dominated by "The Game," a conflation of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
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
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
. Hoss learns that his rival, Mojo Root Force, has encroached upon his territory in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
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
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
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
Shiv (weapon)
A shiv is a slang term for any sharp or pointed implement used as a knife-like weapon. However, the word in practical usage is frequently used when referring to an improvised bladed weapon. Shivs are commonly made by inmates in prisons across the world...
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 1920's gangster, and a Delta bluesDelta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
singer. He resembles "a mean Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
."
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
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
guitarist Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
.
Becky Lou - Hoss's girlfriend/manager.
Star-Man - An astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
who advises Hoss.
Galactic Jack - A disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
who advises Hoss by looking in the charts. He dresses like a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
and speaks like Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
.
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, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on July 17, 1972. The cast included:
- Hoss - Malcolm Storry
- Becky Lou - Petronella Ford
- Star-Man - Michael WellerMichael WellerMichael Weller is a Brooklyn-based playwright who is best known for his plays Moonchildren and Loose Ends. Weller is one of the founders of the Cherry Lane Theatre's acclaimed Mentor Project, which pairs pre-eminent playwrights with emerging playwrights for a season-long mentorship...
- Galactic Jack - Tony Milner
- Cheyenne - Tony Sibbalt
- Doc - John GrilloJohn GrilloJohn Grillo is a British actor and playwright who has appeared in many film and television productions....
- Crow - Dave SchofieldDavid SchofieldDavid Schofield may refer to:*David Schofield , English actor*David Schofield , English football player...
- Directed by Charles MarowitzCharles MarowitzCharles Marowitz is an American critic, theatre director, and playwright who has been a regular columnist on Swans Commentary—a cultural-political bi-weekly—since 2004...
.
Shepard originally wrote the music for the play, which was performed by a group called Blunderbuss. In 1997, unhappy with the production as originally written, Shepard rewrote and updated the play as "The Tooth of Crime: Second Dance" and the score was rewritten by T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
.
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 Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...
), in New York, as part of La MaMa's 45th-anniversary season. Directed by George Ferencz, it was a restaging Ferencz's 1983 concert-style production, using many of the same cast members. According to the New York Times, this production "[made] 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."