Review: GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS - Makes the Sale

David Mamet's hard hitting drama GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, has never claimed to be an easy play to produce. Seven strong male actors and a commanding director are required to begin the undertaking, and even then, pitfalls abound. Thankfully City Theatre's production has all the elements to make this difficult play work on every level.

David Mamet's plays are known for their testosterone driven plots and profanity laced dialogue. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS is no different. The Tony award winning play, set in Chicago in the early 1980's, centers on two days in the lives of five male real estate agents who try every way to make the hard sale and will lie, cheat and steal from each other to do it. The opening act is a series of duet scenes set at a Chinese restaurant which sets up a second act crime. We are first introduced to Levene (Jonathan Pollei) an older man who remembers the old days where a handshake was a bond and cutthroat office politics were unheard of. Williamson (Kevin Smith) is the office manager of the outfit and offers to give Levene the best leads if the older man can pay him in cash. Being down on his luck, Levene cannot pay the bribe and is increasingly agitated with his boss. The second of the duets is Moss (Reynolds Washam) and Aaronow (David Wolff) who lament over the constant sales contests that management subject them to. Moss tries to recruit Aaronow to take part in a burglary where they will steal the best customer leads from their office and sell them to a competitor. The third duet is between Roma (Steve Shearer) and the unsuspecting Lingk (Kirk Miller), the smooth talking salesman engages the younger man and then preys on his insecurities to take advantage of him. Act two begins with a police investigation of the burglary at the real estate office led by police detective Baylen (Dave Westenbarger). Each of the salesmen is interrogated by tho cop in turn. The ending contains an unexpected twist that is both surprising and sad. Overall, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS is a character driven masterpiece that contains some of the best male roles in modern theatre.

Director Karen Sneed puts the actors in sharp focus with well paced action and the character development that makes this show so powerful. She has assembled a talented cast who make the most of every moment on stage. Standouts include Steve Shearer as Roma, the egotistical top salesman who would put a price tag on his mother if it meant winning. His delivery is engaging but the underlying smarminess of his character is beautifully played. Reynolds Washam is excellent as Moss, his driving desperation to cash in on his illegal scheme is well done. But it's Jonathan Pollei who shines as Levene, the aging salesman who has lost his self confidence. Although clearly too young for the role, Pollei makes up for it with an insightful and energetic performance. We feel deeply for his character and hope for his redemption throughout the play. The remainder of the cast is very good in keeping the macho world of '80's real estate wheeling and dealing.

I highly recommend GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS for outstanding direction and excellent performances. But be warned, foul language is a Mamet hallmark and the words flow like water.

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
by David Mamet
Directed by Karen Sneed
City Theatre, 3823 Airport Blvd, Austin
October 16 - November 6

Tickets: $10 - $25, citytheatreaustin.org

Running Time: 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission

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