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Glengarry Glen Ross
by David Mamet
Feburary 7–21, 2009
Johnson Theater, TPAC
Glengarry Glen Ross
"Tennessee Rep gives fresh staging of Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross…One of this production’s highlights occurs in the opening act’s second scene. I’ve seen this play and other Mamet works many times in this country and abroad and never seen his rapid-fire-cadenced lines delivered better than Compton and Haggard do in those moments. It’s a primer on how to play Mamet."
–Evans Donnell, Nashville Tennessean
This classic of the American theatre is David Mamet at his best. 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of this Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, so a celebration is in order. This scalding comedy-drama took Broadway and London by storm when it opened in 1984, and garnered a Tony nomination for best play. Never has the author’s ear for the rhythms of contemporary speech been more keen than in this tale of cutthroat competition among real estate salesmen. In the first act, the salesmen vie for position as they gulp their cocktails in the local Chinese restaurant. The second act shifts to the office where the promising Glengarry Glen Ross leads have been filched. Mamet’s not-so-subtle reflection on how bad things happen when vulnerable people are reduced to targets by unscrupulous sharks unfortunately still resonates today from the current credit debacle to the subprime mortgage collapse.
Copeland Says
“It’s Mamet, so while it delves into the dark side of human nature it does so with dark humor. The dialogue is both scathing (adult language alert) and very witty. It’s an actor’s dream play, so if you especially enjoy terrific, taut, intense acting, you won’t want to miss this.”