The Tooth of Crime

The Tooth of Crime
The Tooth of Crime, directed by Keith Fowler, UC Irvine 1981, with Jeffrey Meek, Lyda Woods, Alphonoso Rodriguez
Written by	Sam Shepard
Characters	Hoss Becky Lou Star-Man Galactic Jack Referee Cheyenne Doc Crow
Date premiered	17 July 1972
Place premiered	Open Space, London
Original language	English
Genre	Musical Play, Drama

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.

The play is set in a vaguely described science fiction 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.

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 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