Who will come out on top? Find out in David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Glengarry Glen Ross, directed by Patrick Marber and starring Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, and Bill Burr.
Glengarry Glen Ross is set in a cutthroat Chicago real estate office where four salespeople compete to sell mostly worthless properties to unwitting customers. Whoever sells the most wins a car; whoever sells the least is out of a job – a ruthless environment where each character will do anything to come out on top.
Renowned for its sharp, rhythmic dialogue and unflinching portrayal of human vulnerability, Mamet's work has become a cornerstone of modern American theater. The 1992 film adaptation, featuring an all-star cast, further cemented its legacy and introduced iconic lines like "Always Be Closing," which have since entered the cultural lexicon. Glengarry Glen Ross continues to resonate as a powerful examination of ambition, power dynamics, and the dehumanizing effects of a profit-driven society, making it a timeless reflection of both personal and systemic struggles.
This marks the third Broadway revival of the iconic play, which premiered on Broadway at the Golden Theatre in 1984. Previous cats have included such stage and screen superstars as Al Pacino, Alan Alda, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale, and David Harbour. The film adaptation starred Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, and Jonathan Pryce.
Individually, all give sharp-elbowed, effective performances even if, under the direction of Patrick Marber, this staging never quite develops the head of steam that could keep the tension rising throughout the play’s brisk running time of less than two hours, including intermission.
Or so I thought. But in the weirdly limp revival that opened on Monday at the Palace Theater, something has flipped. As played by Kieran Culkin, leading a sales team that also features Bob Odenkirk, Bill Burr and Michael McKean, Roma is no longer the master of everyone else’s neuroses; he’s neurotic himself. Especially in the scene that ends the first act, as he winds up for a pitch into the soul of a schlub, he is so deeply weird and interior that any semblance of a confident exterior evaporates. The man couldn’t sell a dollar for a dime.
| 1984 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2005 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2012 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 2017 | West End |
Playhouse Theatre Revival West End |
| 2025 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Kieran Culkin |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Kieran Culkin |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Glengarry Glen Ross |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Bob Odenkirk |
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