Review: Merrimack Rep's GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS Closes the Deal

Glengarry Glen Ross

Written by David Mamet, Directed by Charles Towers; Scenic Designer, Bill Clarke; Costume Designer, Deb Newhall; Lighting Designer, Brian Lilienthal; Sound Designer, Jason E. Weber; Stage Manager, Emily F. McMullen

CAST (in order of appearance): Will LeBow, David Adkins, Charlie Kevin, Jim Ortlieb, Todd Licea, Jeremiah Wiggins, Joel Colodner

Performances through May 19 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, 50 East Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA; Box Office 978-654-4678 or www.mrt.org

Glengarry Glen Ross is a comedy for people who enjoy laughing at the human condition and the foibles of others. With one exception, its characters are cutthroat Chicago real estate salesmen clinging to the gunwales of a very leaky lifeboat, each trying to outmaneuver his colleagues to keep his own head above water. The play has all of the earmarks of a David Mamet-penned piece, with strongly discernible personalities, fast-paced dialogue, and an overabundance of profanity. In the capable hands of Director Charles Towers and an accomplished group of actors, the production at Merrimack Repertory Theatre is crisp, dark, funny, riveting, and a total entertainment package.

Five of the seven actors are known to MRT audiences and Towers has seemingly cast the right man to every role. Will LeBow blends chutzpah and desperation in his portrayal of Shelley Levene, the former top dog now trying to claw his way back to respectability after a slump. Unless he can convince the office manager John Williamson (David Adkins) that he still has "it," the ability to close a sale, he won't get any of the good leads, lessening his chances to close a sale. Adkins looks both smug and long-suffering as The Man controlling the wheel of fortune in this vicious cycle, secure in the knowledge that he is the one with the power even when he is being berated by his employees.

The first act takes place in a Chinese restaurant where the salesmen go to gripe or unwind. A deep red velvet backdrop frames a pair of side-by-side red leather booths where three scenes play out. Following the fraught conversation between Levene and Williamson, co-workers Dave Moss (Charlie Kevin) and George Aaronow (Jim Ortlieb) complain about the status quo and their unsatisfactory rankings in the pecking order. Moss masterfully channels the discussion in the direction of getting even with the bosses, perhaps by breaking into the office and stealing the leads. Kevin's sidelong glances make it obvious (to us) that he is trying to entice his friend into collaborating with him. Ortlieb is the perfect trusting dupe, but his face also shows his internal struggle as he considers becoming part of the plan.

The third pairing involves hotshot salesman Ricky Roma (Todd Licea) pontificating to Jim Lingk (Jeremiah Wiggins), a stranger in the next booth. A quiet, unassuming man, it is Lingk's misfortune to fall under the spell of the charismatic, take no prisoners Roma. If he closes a sale of a parcel of land at Glengarry Glen Ross to Lingk, Roma will secure his place at the top of the monthly sales board, winning a Cadillac and bragging rights, as well as maintaining his job. Wiggins behaves as if politely interested in the salesman's speech before becoming the moth to his flame. Licea is compelling to watch as the hail fellow well met guy who strategically places a hand on his companion for emphasis, or leans in or out as the conversation dictates, always thinking one step ahead of his target.

When the lights come up for act two, Scenic Designer Bill Clarke's rendering of the real estate office hits right between the eyes. Rundown and dingy as it is, it is in tremendous disarray with a boarded-up window, file draws pulled out, and papers strewn all over the desks and floor. It only takes a second to realize that a burglary has taken place and the men are on edge, their individual concerns being whether or not their contracts are safe, or who is to blame, or who might be a suspect. Adding to their agitation, a gruff, no-nonsense cop (Joel Colodner) hustles them one by one into the back office for interrogation. When Moss comes out, he is incensed and storms around the room spewing invectives. Seeing his friend's state, an already jittery Aaronow decompensates to the point where you can almost see the sweat popping up on his worried brow.

On the whole, Glengarry Glen Ross is character driven, telling its story by showing the behaviors of this group of men cum lab rats. Mamet's taut writing, his particular style of dialogue (including the ever-present foul language), and his insight make this a powerful play. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1984, and the 2005 version won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. However, it is the realistic portrayals by each and every member of the ensemble that make Merrimack's production compelling.

Director Towers and his team of designers provide the visual and aural augmentation to the artistry of the cast. Lighting Designer Brian Lilienthal appropriately uses the dim light emitted from Chinese lanterns in the restaurant where conversations contain a modicum of secrecy. In the burgled office, overhead fluorescent lights add to the sense of secrets being exposed. Deb Newhall's costumes offer a window into the personalities and power of each of the men. Sound Designer Jason E. Weber creates an unobtrusive background soundscape of lunchtime patrons at the restaurant.

The testosterone flows heavily in Mamet's masculine world where the measure of each man is his ability to withstand the pressure to succeed and close the deal. On the surface, the challenge is to sell the greatest number of parcels of land in Florida, to beat the customer by convincing him that he is buying a piece of the American dream. However, on a deeper level, Glengarry Glen Ross is about a win at all costs mentality that pervades the American landscape - business, sports, politics - and what that costs us as individuals and as a nation. Mamet doesn't give a definitive answer, but it is hard to miss his slant. Bear in mind that he wrote this play in 1984, decades before the tumultuous financial meltdown of 2008 from which the world has not yet fully rebounded. Was Mamet truly prescient, or does he merely see and understand a side of human nature that is inevitable? Either way, Glengarry Glen Ross hardly seems a fiction.

Photo credit: Meghan Moore (Todd Licea, Charlie Kevin, Will LeBow)

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