Review: Desert Stages Theatre Presents GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

It's dog eat dog in Mitch and Murray's real estate agency when a sales contest pits the five office bulls against each other in a nasty struggle for survival. Complacent and short on closed deals, the guys have been thrown a bone: produce or perish. How quickly buddies become foes, complacency turns to panic, and ethics fall by the wayside. In a day when lots of cheap talk is tossed around about winners and losers, David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning drama, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, still howls with relevance as it probes the actions of men in distress who revert to their baser instincts.

The gates of Mamet's competitive hell are open anew on the stone cold set of Desert Stages Theatre, and, under the direction of Virginia Olivieri, the play storms into a riveting eruption of raw emotion and rage, driven by a palpable fear of failure. What her cast may lack in the nuances of Mametian rhythm they make up for with intensity, passion, and rapid-fire elocution.

J. Kevin Tallent lives up to his surname with a riveting performance as Shelly "The Machine" Levene ~ no longer the finely-tuned sales engine he used to be but desperate to kick-start his career back into first gear. From his opening appeal to the agency's office manager (Rick Davis) for one more shot at the brass ring to his final revelation, Tallent epitomizes the vulnerability of a man on the edge with flawless precision, pathos, and authenticity.

While Shelly is scratching, others are clawing. Walt Pedano plays Richard Roma to the hilt as the smug and deceitful manipulator who lures the likes of a Walter Mitty-ish naif (Charles Sowder) into a very bad deal. Al Benneian's George Aaronow is more the passive observer, never quite able to ratchet up to the angst and anger of his cohorts. In marked contrast, Jeff Carpenter's Dave Moss bellows with profane rage at the indignities he is suffering under the Mitch and Murray regime and damned if he doesn't want to find a way to wreak revenge.

As there is an ever-present question about why good men do bad things or to what lengths they will resort when they're behind the eight ball, Mamet's two-acter offers laser-like perspective on the answer. Ms. Olivieri has done quite a credible job in ensuring that the beam retains its acuity. Certainly, her cast has measured up to her challenge.

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS continues its run at Desert Stages Theatre through May 15th.

Photo credit to Heather Butcher

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