The play premiered at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco in the 1980s, then moved to the Public Theatre in New York. A few years later, the Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago's hit production, featuring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, played on Broadway for 762 performances, then was taped by PBS for American Playhouse.
This production opened at the Circle in the Square Theater in New York on March 2, 2000, ran for 154 performances and Sam Shepard's script was nominated for the 2000 Tony Award for the Best Play.