The Gamm Theatre to Present AMERICAN BUFFALO

American Buffalo by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet (Glengary Glen Ross) opens at The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre (The Gamm) on November 17. Tyler Dobrowsky (The Rant, Morality Play) directs the play that put Mamet on the map as a major American playwright. Gamm Artistic Director Tony Estrella, Gamm Resident Director FrEd Sullivan, Jr. and Gamm regular Marc Dante Mancini play three small time criminals working together to pull off a "big time" heist and grab their share of the American Dream.

With explosive humor, frenetic energy and surprising tenderness, American Buffalo promises a mesmerizing experience. Winner of the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play, American Buffalo was instantly hailed as a new American classic when it opened on Broadway in 1977. New York Times reviewer Frank Rich said it was, "one of the best American plays of the last decade." The play was also adapted into a 1996 film that was shot on location in Pawtucket just blocks from The Gamm.

"American Buffalo ranks among the greatest dramas ever written that tackles the underside of the American Dream," said Gamm Artistic Director Tony Estrella. "While not an overtly political play, I'm excited that it runs after we elect a new president and while we're having an ongoing national conversation about income equality, capitalism and the death rattle of the class of men who have wielded largely unchecked power both politically and socially in America for generations. Times they are a changin' and, as the play's title implies, some species find it hard to adapt."

American Buffalo runs from November 17-December 18 at The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, RI. Tickets are $44 and $52; preview performances (November 17-20) are $33. Call 401-723-4266 or order online at gammtheatre.org.
During one long day in a Chicago junk shop, three small-time, tough-talking crooks plot to rob a man of his valuable coin collection, including the rare Buffalo nickel. But when their con goes awry, it's every man for himself in a testosterone-fueled game of dead-end pipe dreams. By turns horrifying and hilarious, cynical and moving, American Buffalo is a small-scale tragedy packed with enough power to explode the American Dream. Hailed as a new American classic in 1977, Mamet's award-winning play is an engrossing experience whether you're seeing it for the first time or rediscovering this defining work.

Brilliant...Mamet creates a subterranean world with its own non-literate comic beat, life-and-death struggles, pathos and even affection.-The New York Times

Play Sponsors: Empire Loan, Ladds Bartel (LLB) Architects
Season support: Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.

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