Today is Saturday, December 8, marking the official opening night performance of the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about sharks in a real-estate office, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, having begun previews on October 19, during the astute direction of Daniel Sullivan.
The cast is led by Al Pacino with John C. McGinley, David Harbour, Richard Schiff, Jeremy Shamos, Bobby Cannavale and Murphy Guyer.
Here's how the modern classic is billed: "The stakes are high at a fly by night Chicago real estate office: 1st prize — a new Cadillac, 2nd prize — a set of steak knives, 3rd prize — you're fired!," according to production notes. "Glengarry Glen Ross slices to the core of the American dream and exposes the depths people will go to stay on top of the game. Mamet himself worked in a real estate office in Chicago in 1969 setting up appointments for salesmen, and the play is influenced by the cutthroat politics he encountered."
I just read the Newsday review, and didn't think it was negative. But Brantley's sure was!
I have to admit that I enjoyed both the Liev Schreiber/Alan Alda revival and this Cannavale/Pacino one, but Ben makes some good points...it is less an ensemble piece with Al involved, and Shelly is so disheveled that it's hard to believe he was ever a "machine."
Still...Cannavale and Pacino were just so damn watchable!
Capnhook meant that they wouldn't be printed till Monday, they would still be available online.
The New York Times releases some of its Sunday only sections on Saturday to those who get home delivery. This includes the arts section and this means that even though the play opened on a Saturday, the arts section for Sunday was already out by the time opening came. So, the next available day for it to show up in print will be Monday.
I am not sure if other papers do anything similar.
What does that mean? I understand the investment is almost recouped and investors have received 90% already. The real failure of Richards and his partner Jerry Frankel is "Virginia Woolf" which hasn't found an audience and looks to be a failure. That's the one on which they may have lost it.
Thought the show was brilliant. Second only this year to DEATH OF A SALESMAN: "With papery skin and thinning gray hair, through which he is constantly running his fingers, Mr. Pacino often behaves like an elderly man at a bus station who has forgotten where he is and where he’s going ... Later, when he briefly believes he is back, he skips across the stage, wagging his tongue and narrating 'war stories' with the fervor of an expert raconteur. 'I’m eating her crumb cake,' he tells Roma (Bobby Cannavale), lapping up the mimed dessert as well as his colleague’s enthusiasm." My review of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
joined:6/21/06
Posted: 12/8/12 at 01:10am