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.
For Glengarry to land its hardest, we’ve got to feel a measure of that Arthur Miller anguish in Levene’s ultimate downfall, no matter the character’s moral worth: Odenkirk shrinks toward pathos rather than expanding toward tragedy. Burr, meanwhile, plays Moss with a comedian’s ear for rhythm, setting up each blunt force blow and devious jab like so many cans to be shot off a fence. It works — there’s not much soul in Dave Moss to go digging for.
After intermission, the play moves from the Chinese restaurant to the salesmen’s shabby office: plywood in part of the window, rust from a pipe bleeding down an upper wall. (Scott Pask’s sets for both acts are unimprovable, as are his costumes; the pale green shirt under Burr’s brown suit is a miniature triumph.) Culkin’s performance improves in this brighter environment, with greater mobility and action to play, but he’s still all wrong for Roma. When he loses control, there’s no menace to his anger; it’s just a peevish tantrum. To the extent that Marber’s job as a director here is, like John’s, to “marshal the leads,” it is only partly accomplished.
| 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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