This piece, along with other early Shepard one-act plays follows the theatrical genre of Theatre of the Absurd, and internal themes positing that the american dream does little more for the individual than ruin potential happiness.
The title of the play comes from the idea that modern Americans were looking for a 'saint with a cowboy mouth'.
cowboy mouth
Cowboy Mouth is a one-act play originally produced in 1971 and jointly written by sam shepard and patti smith.
The play received its world premiere at The Traverse Theatre in edinburgh in april of 1971, directed by Gordon Stewart, with Its American premiere at The American Place Theatre in nyc the same year. The production was directed by Robert Glaudini, with Shepard and Smith playing the two lead roles.
Three characters make up the cast: Slim, an anthropomorphic cat dressed like a coyote; Cavale, an anthropomorphic crow; and a symbolic character simply referred to as Lobster Man.
