BWW Reviews: ACT 1's 'Stunning, Poetic and Profane' AMERICAN BUFFALO Takes Over The Darkhorse

Poetic and profane, David Mamet's 1975 play American Buffalo is brought to the stage of Nashville's Darkhorse Theatre in a stunningly raw and beautifully realized production directed by Ryan Williams for ACT 1.

As one of the city's most enduring community theatre groups, ACT 1 consistently has proven its worth and claimed its place among the most notable theater companies - whether professional or community-centered - and with American Buffalo the company kicks off its 2011-2012 season with awe-inspiring force, presenting a production that is clearly one of the best to be seen in Nashville during this calendar year.

Exquisitely acted by three gifted actors and mounted with obvious care and a staggering attention to detail by the creative team led by Williams, American Buffalo pummels and challenges you as its three protagonists go at one another in the claustrophobic, smothering and moldy confines of Don's Resale Shop, a seedy pawn shop in Chicago, that's filled to overflowing with the flotsam and jetsam of discarded lives. Daniel Sadler's set design for the dank and dusty establishment is superbly rendered, immediately transporting audiences to the time and place of Mamet's play - Williams has chosen to set the 1975 work in October, 1979, to coincide with an appearance by Ronald Reagan in advance of his 1980 run for the White House, thus establishing the societal milieu of the time in much more eloquent fashion. Sadler's scenic design envelops the entire Darkhorse space, it seems, feeling oppressive and overbearing in so doing and creating the heady sense of despair that permeates Mamet's script.

Williams' stellar cast features David Chattam as Donny Dubrow, the pawn shop's owner, who is plotting to steal the coin collection of a recent client unlucky enough to have exposed too much personal information about himself during his brief visits to the store. Donny's partner-in-crime is Bobby (Zach McCann), a slow-witted but sweet young man from the surrounding neighborhood who's dealing with his own demons (he's a junkie). When Donny's "friend," the rudely annoying and misanthropic Teach (Phil Brady) learns of the pair's plans, he insists upon taking part, shoving Bobby out of the equation with charges of possible disloyalty and the lack of criminal experience.

What transpires after that is quintessential Mamet, as the three men separately and variously reveal more of themselves and their real motives are exposed. Astonishingly raw and unfiltered, the men rage about the space, hurling expletives and invective at one another, losing whatever humanity left in their possession and, in the process, giving audiences the opportunity to view three actors at their finest, delivering performances that are richly crafted and exhaustively honed to perfection.

Williams' direction is nothing short of amazing, as he makes his directorial debut with this production, as is his focused attention to detail. Richly layered and multi-hued, his production of American Buffalo is theater at its thought-provoking best. Not only are Williams and his actors all on the same page, but the physical trappings of the production vividly recreate the world in which Mamet's play takes place, with some terrific special effects, including the most realistic late night thundershower we've ever seen on a stage: there's rain, low rumbling thunder and intermittent flashes of lightening (Karen Ingram, Kellye Mitchell and June Sisemore are given credit in the program for the props and effects, while Zan McKinney is responsible for the superb lighting design) to punctuate the dramatic denouement as it unfolds on the stage before you.

The performances of Williams' cast are extraordinary: three men who heretofore have providEd Strong portrayals in any number of local productions herein are given the chance to achieve even more than could possibly have been expected from them. Foul-mouthed in the way only Mamet can write and still sound natural (the "motherfuckers" and "cocksuckers" abound in the script, which helps to further replicate the world in which the three endure their oppressive lives), Chattam's Donny somehow manages to retain some of his gentle humanity through his shading dealings and manipulations, perfectly capturing the dual natures of the man's personality. Somehow he is able physically to show us Donny's inner turmoil as he wrestles with the realities of his bleak existence.

McCann plays the eager-to-please and forgetful Bobby with a poised confidence that allows him to lose himself in his character. One of the finest young actors in these parts, McCann's performance is sweetly appealing and rather horrifying (as you learn the truths of Bobby's drug-induced stupor of a life) and he walks a fine line in delineating the character's feuding inner self v. the outward, seemingly innocent Bobby. His command of Mamet's language is impressive, his stage presence palpable and affecting.

But it is perhaps Brady who delivers the most surprising performance of the piece, eschewing any pretense of likability to create a Teach who is a motherf-ing son of a bitch that you want to see made into the jailhouse bitch of some sweaty miscreant who'll slap that simpering smirk off his face and that officious tone out of his voice. (Obviously, Brady's performance elicited quite the response from me, huh?) In all sincerity, Brady's performance is nothing short of revelatory and, as reviled as Teach is, it is inspirational.

In fact, as I was driving away from the Darkhorse after the performance I reviewed (on my way to Kroger to pick up some milk and eggs... Egads! This is the glamorous life of a theater critic in Nashville - in NYC, I'd be headed out for drinks with Sutton, Nick and Gavin; in Nashville, I fight over the last half-gallon of 2% milk with another shopper...but I digress...), I was struck by the sheer level of talent on display in American Buffalo and the complete devotion to the creative process that is exemplified throughout the production, from producers Donald Powell and LT Kirk to stage manager Elizabeth Hayes, with Williams, Sadler, Chattam, McCann and Brady providing me with a thoroughly fulfilling theatrical experience.

Truth be told, I found myself emotionally drained and moved by the experience, my eyes watering as I realized how inspired I was by ACT 1's American Buffalo. If I could, I would take each and every one of you to the Darkhorse Theatre, so I could witness your experience of the sheer artistry that is on display there - or, at the very least, I'd call you up every day, hectoring you to go see the show. But since that is not possible, this must suffice: Go see American Buffalo before it's gone. You will be inspired. You will be proud of the blood, sweat and tears expended in that theater. And you will be happy to know that you are a part of a growing theater community that is seemingly experiencing a creative renaissance in a city primarily known for country music, insurance and Sunday School books.

American Buffalo. By David Mamet. Directed by Ryan Williams. Presented by ACT 1. At Darkhorse Theatre, Nashville. For details, visit the company's website at www.ACT1online.com.

 

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