 The Very Little Theatre presented a two-week run of Glengarry Glen Ross, a powerful and acclaimed play by David Mamet. The play was performed in VLT's Stage Left space.
This is an intense story of desperate men at work, and people who are sensitive to profane language should be forewarned that this play has a lot of it. The play shows us two days in the lives of four Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation, and burglary—to sell undesirable real estate to unwilling prospective buyers. The dialogue is noteworthy for the persuasive patter of the salesmen characters, who spend much time trying to convince customers, the oily office manager, and even each other to give them what they want. The play draws partly on Mamet's experiences in a Chicago real estate office, where he worked briefly in the late 1960s. The title of the play comes from the names of two of the real estate developments being peddled by the salesmen, Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms. The play opened on Broadway in 1984 and was nominated for four Tony awards, including Best Play, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, also in 1984. (The play was later made into a movie starring Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, and Ed Harris.)
With the recent turmoil on Wall Street, the subject of greed and ethics has never been more relevant, and this play delivers in memorable fashion.
Awards given to Glengarry Glen Ross:
* 1983 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
* 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
* 2005 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Play
* 2005 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play "Crackling tension ... ferocious comedy and drama."
N.Y. Times
"Wonderfully funny.... A play to see, remember and cherish."
N.Y. Post |
