Review: GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS at Dolphin Theatre

 “Glengarry Glen Ross”  by David Mamet

 

Reviewed by Glenda Pearce 

 

                                         Fighting to Stay Afloat

 

Intelligently directed by Brian Keegan the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Glengarry Glen Ross’’ is an all powerful drama of cut throat conflict that gets us to look into the world of real estate – and the genuine dilemmas of the salesmen in that world.  Set in Chicago, in 1984, this was a year in America in which housing sales unexpectedly plummeted. It was a year in which the economics of housing changed dramatically, making mortgage money sharply and permanently more expensive. Housing sales flattened off.  “We are the members of a dying breed.” This is a well-paced scathing satire on American business practices and by extension, capitalism and greed.  

 

The play depicts two days in the lives of real estate salesmen, and their increasing desperation when unemployment threatens them all. Williamson (Ryan Douglas) is sent to motivate (and threaten) the team. In a deluge of verbal abuse, he gives them all notice of termination and says that only the top deal-closers of the month will keep their jobs and gain access to promising leads for the Glengarry Highlands. His resonant tones “You have to believe in yourself” and “it’s cold out there” point out the competitive nature of the sales world.

The salesmen are all following leads – the names and phone numbers of prospective purchasers  -  and descend to employing deceitful and dubious sales tactics. The sales office of the play serves as a microcosm of capitalist culture: every man must not only work for his own success but also hope for—or actively engineer—his coworkers' failure. The only characters who seem to have any integrity, and who do not attempt to steal from, cheat, or trick one of the others are the unsettled Aaronow (Mark Bishop)  and troubled Lingk (Nat Churches) —both extremely meek men who, it is implied, do not have much chance at great success.  Arthur Young is entirely convincing as Shelley "The Machine" Levene who is so desperate that he resorts to offering outrageous percentages of any sales as bribes. Williamson is willing to sell some of the prime leads, but demands cash in advance, which Levene does not have. How far will his desperation sink?

 

Although quite static as a play, David Mamet is famous for his attention to detail in dialogue. The dramatic action lies in the “talking”. All the characters in Glengarry Glen Ross have very differentiated diction. Words are often left out of sentences, and the grammar, though seldom "proper," always makes sense. Lines are delivered with pace and with truth.

 

Please note the play is notorious for its use of profanity and use of American jargon. Mamet is trying to reflect the way he believes his characters would actually talk. Secondly, Mamet believes that the way people speak influences the way they behave, rather than vice versa. Excellent and credible performances from Oliver Roberts as Ricky Roma, Cory Hare as Dave Moss and Benedict Yew as Detective Baylen, called in to investigate the crime (just a little teaser there!) We can connect to their emotional angst. Another highlight is the creative blend of the male voices and the differentiation of pitch and manner in their convincingly accented, well-modulated tones.

 

Congratulations to the creative team ably led by the director. The set design is creative and bold turning from a Chinese restaurant into a sales office for Act Two. Although not a play for everyone, this is a play which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for good reason. Emotionally driven moments of pathos and realistic desperation are contrasted effectively against the cold and cut throat office conflict. On until July 1st at Dolphin Theatre, Onehunga. Bookings  09 636 7322 or https://dolphintheatre.org.nz/bookings-2

 

Reviewed - Glenda Pearce 

 

 

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