Fool for Love by Sam Shepard was first performed at the Magic Theater in San Francisco in 1983 while Shepard was the resident playwright. As with many of his other works, it focuses on toxic interdependence of characters set against a western backdrop. Also as is typical of Shepard's work, one is never entirely sure what elements of the play are intended as "real" and which are figments of the characters' imaginations. The focus of the play is on the psychology of the two main characters, with plot elements strongly subordinated to relationship dynamics.
The two main characters are Eddie, a rodeo cowboy, and May, his half-sister who works as a short order cook. The Old Man is a mysterious figure, who may be the father of the two lovers by different mothers or may be imaginary. He sits in a rocking chair, sips whiskey, and comments on the events in the play.
May is in a motel room when Eddie arrives. They have had an on-and-off sexual relationship based on a mysterious bond (what we might call co-dependency) and Eddie has returned to resume the relationship. As they are arguing the Countess, Eddie's wealthy lover, drives up in a BMW and shoots the motel room's window and Eddie's pickup. When May opens the door to confront her, May's lover Martin, appears. The half-siblings reveal their past, including the suicide of Eddie's mother. Outside the room, Eddie's horses get loose and his pickup starts burning. He rushes out to save them and May also leaves the room carrying a suitcase.
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