‘American Buffalo’ Review: Starry but Flat Broadway Revival Doesn’t Make the Case for David Mamet
4 / 10
Mamet's eagerness to join in a vivified backlash against gay and trans people will likely come as a disappointment to those who see, in works like 'American Buffalo,' a rich and textured critique of how this country's way of life pits citizen against citizen. And it comes at a less-than-apt moment for this show, which already feels emptied of the vitality that characterizes the best of Mamet. Delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and set in an indeterminate urban landscape of the semi-recent past, this 'American Buffalo' lacks the granularity and specificity to say much of anything, let alone make a case for its creator's continued relevance.
