Blackfriars Theatre Presents GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

If Mad Men premiered on HBO instead of AMC, it would have been called, Glengarry Glen Ross. David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-Winning comedy/drama hits the stage at Blackfriars Theatre on Friday, February 2, 2018. Widely considered one of David Mamet's greatest works, Glengarry Glen Ross follows a group of small-time, cutthroat real estate salesmen trying to grind out a living by pushing plots of land on reluctant buyers in a never-ending scramble for their share of the American Dream.

Glengarry Glen Ross is Mamet at his very best. His award-winning play is rooted in his experience working at a real estate office on the North Side of Chicago in 1969. "The national culture," said Mamet in a 1984 interview at the time of Glengarry Glen Ross' American debut, "is founded very much on the idea of strive and succeed. Instead of rising with the masses, one should rise from the masses. One can only succeed because of the failure of another." Mamet's assertion is born out of the fact that the employees of Premiere Properties are all involved in a much-derided office-wide sales contest - the top salesman wins a new Cadillac while the runner-up receives a set of steak knives. And the loser? He is fired. "It's obvious," noted Mamet, "that these fellows are put in fear for their lives and their livelihood; for them it's the same thing. They have to succeed at the cost of each other."

Director Brian Coughlin digs a little deeper into the thrill and challenges Mamet's play provides. "Unlike anyone in the business, Mamet presents his story through a frantic flow of truths, lies, interruptions, pauses, halts, stops, sidebars, sarcasm and succinctness. Finely crafted emotional and psychological meanderings that comprise his double-edged dialogue that is meant to cut, skewer, confound and cajole the receiver...the very essence of what makes a Mamet play such a pleasure to experience."

Blackfriars' Artistic & Managing Director, Danny Hoskins, agrees with Coughlin, adding, "David Mamet is known for his mastery of dialogue and wordplay." Speaking of Glengarry's appeal to both artists and audiences Hoskins continues, "It's a multicolored, theatrical medley, a 10,000-word picture puzzle dumped on the floor and entrusted to the director, actors, crew and staff, to pick up the pieces one by one and to put it all together so the audience can delight in the big, beautiful, uniquely-crazy portrait he has created. A challenge we have wholly embraced with equal parts joy and terror."

The Glengarry Glen Ross cast includes D. Scott Adams (Roma), Dave Andreatta (Moss), Christopher C. Conway (Lingk), Gregory Ludek (Baylen), David Munnell (Levene), Jeff Siuda (Aronow), and John Winter (Williamson). The play is directed by Brian Coughlin. It should be noted that Glengarry Glen Ross contains explicit language and is recommended for mature audiences.

Blackfriars Theatre, a professional, not-for-profit theatre, has entertained audiences for over 65 years in downtown Rochester, NY. Our mission is to enrich, entertain and inspire our community through exceptional theatrical arts while engaging local talent. Parking is available on site. Handicapped seating is available. For more information regarding Blackfriars Theatre, please visit www.blackfriars.org.

Photo Credit: Dan Howell

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