In the business world of the '80s, it seemed that everyone was either getting rich or falling behind. David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross follows four real-estate salesmen who are teetering between these two precarious positions. The Pen, Paint, and Pretzels production of the show will run tonight and tomorrow in the Balch Arena Theater.
Set at the end of the '80s in the face of the oncoming recession, the play follows a small, declining real estate firm. Forced to make cutbacks, the company pits four salesmen against each other in a sales contest; the winners will keep their jobs. With their lives falling apart, each of them is forced to use any tactics available to stay on top. In the spirit of the power and greed-driven '80s, the men have always been in fierce competition. Now, each sale means not merely their status, but their livelihood.
Shelly Levene (Phil DeVaul), Dave Moss (Rob Shalhoub), George Aaronow (Chris Maddox), and Richard Roma (Chris Walters) are the four men. All of them are slimy and despicable in their own ways. Levene is looking for a chance to prove that he can still do the job, while Aaronow seems to have given up on any hope of redeeming himself. Roma is fighting hard to keep himself number one and Moss is plotting around them all for a better opportunity.
DeVaul's performance is excellent. His Levene can be funny, desperate, or hopeful. The audience follows him as he does everything possible to get the second chance he feels he deserves. Walters also stands out later in the play as he turns from raging to considerate to conniving. The entire cast, however, does a remarkable job playing what are, in essence, actors. All salesmen must perform for their customers, their employers, and themselves.
The writing in Glengarry Glen Ross is excellent but demanding. The dialogue is nearly always rapid-fire and intense. Again, the cast rises to the task. These image-hungry men love to intimidate each other, even though they are terrified about the prospect of losing their jobs and lives.
It is no accident that Glengarry Glen Ross's cast is entirely male. In their pursuit of wealth and power, these men have cut out everything else from their lives including love, morality, and humanity. Anything less than complete focus on their careers would mean failure.
The show is difficult to categorize. It is an intriguing look at a strange culture that makes the people who live in it essentially caricatures. Even though people tend to look back fondly at the prosperity of the '80s, the overwhelming greed of these men is repulsive. At the same time, their lives are so pathetic that they can be hard to laugh at. Tragedy is never far from comedy.
Glengarry Glen Ross marks Chris Ferraro's directing debut. With much stage experience behind him, Ferraro clearly knows what he is doing. Both director and actors share credit for keeping the many monologue-like conversations varied and energetic. Ferraro also appears as Blake, a successful salesman brought in to shake up the four others at the start of the contest. Apparently, he does an excellent job at directing himself as well.
Glengarry Glen Ross will run at 8 p.m. both tonight and tomorrow in the Balch Arena Theater. Admission is free, and seating will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.
