Review: Theatre9/12's SPEED THE PLOW Needs a Touch More Focus

There's nothing like a well done David Mamet play with its verbal sparring, clever dialog and constant exchange of power. But in order to be great the performances need to be so laser focused and on point you could cut glass with them. And while the current production from Theatre9/12 of "Speed the Plow" is on its way to that level, they still need a bit more settling into the roles in order to be fully committed.

It's Mamet's delicious dissection of the Hollywood film industry focusing on two Producers, Bobby and Charlie (Robert Alan Barnett and Michael Oaks). The two have been friends and colleagues for years but now Bobby has risen to the lofty position of Head of Production at a major studio. And while there's some underlying jealousy that doesn't stop Charlie from bringing his friend a hot commodity with a very bankable star involved. Everything seems to be right on track with these two fat cats until a mouse is introduced into the mix in the form of a temporary secretary, Karen (Danielle Daggerty). But is she as naïve as she seems or merely another cat in mouse clothing?

As with all Theatre9/12 shows the stage is quite sparse as they focus on the meat of the performances and not the nuance of production. Director Charles Waxberg keeps the pacing clipping along with the piece but at times lets the overlapping dialog get muddled. Now, one could argue that the dialog in question is simply throw away bits of extraneous details but in a Mamet play there's no such thing. Every line in a Mamet play conveys intent and that's what was missing here. Not dreadful by any stretch of the imagination but not up to the level of commitment I've come to expect from this group.

Barnett has a wonderful arc in the piece as we see him go from a King to a pawn and back again and has some amazing chemistry and timing with Oaks. And Oaks' hyper energy fits his part to a tee making him a delight to watch. But it was mainly the two of them where I missed some of that focus. You should be able to see that exchange of power like the handing off of a baton and it wasn't always there especially at the beginning. Daggerty however manages her emergence of power and intent beautifully. So well in fact that it takes you by surprise. But as nice as her reveal was I would have liked more desperation from her at the end as her power wanes.

It's one of those shows that's almost there and I'm sure with a little more time it'll come together nicely but it just wasn't quite there the night I saw it. And so with my three letter rating system I give Theatre9/12's "Speed the Plow" a tentative YAY-. Not the best Mamet I've seen but far from the worst.

"Speed the Plow" from Theatre9/12 performs at Trinity Parish Hall through July 31st. For tickets or information visit them online at www.theatre912.com.

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