Review: Glengarry Glen Ross

The good news for fans of  the and hard-hitting drama is that the theatrical group’s newest production, “Glengarry Glen Ross,” opens this weekend. What could be bad news for some theatergoers hoping to see the show is that tickets are selling out fast.

David Mamet’s award-winning play, which debuted in the early 1980s, is about a high stakes struggle for dominance in a Chicago real estate office. Forget about the glitzy, glamorous side of buying and selling properties popularized on HGTV series like “Selling New York.” “Glengarry Glen Ross” exposes the dark underbelly of the world of real estate which is even more powerful, deeply compelling, and moving.

The Machiavellian twists and turns of the plot are stunning as is Mamet’s gift for the realistic ebb and flow of language, Director Jeff Bennett said.

 “It’s a masterwork,” Bennett said of the play which brilliantly depicts “a world in which men are forced to lie, cheat, steal and annihilate each other merely to survive.”

And Bennett would be the first to admit that the play is not for the faint-hearted.

“You thought the world of ‘Boiler Room’ harsh? You found ‘Wall Street’ disturbing in its celebration of greed? You consider ‘The Insider’ a shameful portrait of corporate duplicity? Well, the kinetic intensity of ‘Glengarry,’ the sheer sizzle of this play, puts them all to shame. It’s the first and best of its genre, and remains so to this day,” Bennett said.

The character-driven plot follows the rise and fall of four agents who ply their trade out of a Chinese restaurant which has seen better days and a shabby office. It’s a study in contrasts as the men compete for to sell plots of land of dubious value in Florida.

The play takes its title from the grandiose names that the agency’s owners Mitch and Murray have created for  two property developments in an effort to conjure up images of idyllic, verdant paradise. Although we never see these two men, their presence is felt through the agents’ growing desperation for “hot” leads to promising customers. The agents, who live for the “rush” of closing deals, are so engrossed in the act of selling that they forget that it is more artifice than art. In a very real sense, they are as caught up in the illusion as their clients.

The fact that the jockeying for power is not only a matter of financial survival, but of pride, is made abundantly clear as the play opens. The expletives immediately begin to fly as Shelly Levene (James Bradley) — a  former top producer who is down on his luck — uses every trick in the book to extract promising leads from the younger, emotionally removed office manager, John Williamson (Jim Staehlin).

At the other end of the continuum, the silver-tongued Rick Roma (Sean King) is currently riding the wave of success. As we look on, Roma establishes trust with an  unsuspecting mark Jim Lingk (Tim Thieke), whom he meets at the Chinese restaurant.  Roma works his magic by  seemingly sharing his innermost thoughts and  his philosophy about seizing life’s opportunities with Lingk, and  reels him in.

Only one agent, Dave Moss ( Jason Kirsch) seems to have sized up the situation for what it is. During dinner, he turns the tables-- and his salesmanship skills-- on fellow coworker George Aaronow (Steve Shelowitz), and tries to sell him on the idea of faking a break-in, stealing the best leads, and selling them to another agency for whom the two men could then work. Will Aaronow rise to the bait?

James Conversano adds to the mounting tension in his role as a no-nonsense police officer. The show was produced by Vivian Wyrick.

Pulling off Mamet’s masterpiece is “tough, a real reach,” but his talented group of actors, including “the Jim Trio,” are rising to the challenge, and feel exhilarated, Bennett said.

Performances take place at the of Dance, 57 Main Street, Northport Village at 8 pm. The April 8 and 9 performances are already sold out although at this writing, tickets are still available for April 7, and April 14-16. Tickets may be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets by calling 1-800-838-3006 or online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/162541 . For more information, visit http://www.barebonestheater.com/glen2011.