Goodness gracious, I think I’m in love. The Arts Club Theatre’s Glengarry Glen Ross, starring none other than TV’s Eric McCormack (Will and Grace), is a snappy, commanding production that left me weak in the knees by the time the last line was spoken.
Set in 1984 Chicago, the play serves as an updated nod to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. It paints an unfair (yet sadly realistic) world where a month of dismal sales can erase a real estate agent’s decades of hard work.
It’s a powerful piece, and thankfully the Arts Club has given David Mamet’s ode to the downtrodden workingman the presentation it’s due. Both impeccable acting and understated set designs allow the piece’s sharp and slick dialogue to truly shine. Frankly, I just couldn’t help but swoon.
That dude on Will and Grace
Let’s cut straight to the chase - the buzz surrounding this production largely surrounds McCormack and his celebrity status. No doubt, the majority of you readers out there are scanning through this article merely to find out if he was capable of breaking beyond the mould of the loveable, slightly neurotic gay man he played on television for eight years.
The answer? He did.
McCormack’s take on profanity-laden, super-salesman Richard Roma is bang-on. He couldn’t have chosen a role more different than that of Will Truman, and he pulls it off beautifully. His every move, from a cocky swagger to an overly relaxed cross of the legs, perfectly emulates the oily real estate agent desperate to close a deal.
The other guys
While the hubbub around the show has largely concentrated itself upon McCormack, the other actors in the production are much more than mere stage props. Expect solid performances across the board, with a few notable standouts.
Gerard Plunkett gives a moving performance as the down-on-his-luck Levine, a former top salesman who finds himself on the chopping luck after what he likes to call a “bad streak.” His anger and distress at the big bosses who’ve so easily forgotten his past loyalty is affective, especially for those audience members who’ve dealt with an unjust employer themselves.
John Pyper-Ferguson (Moss) is also convincing as the embittered employee who decides to take matters into his hands and plots an office robbery. His contempt practically permeates the theatre as he spits out one affronted utterance after another.
The real superstar
When all is said and done though, the genuine star of the production is Mamet’s text itself. Raw and provocative (expect a few racist slurs and many F-bombs), it adequately sums up the unyielding nature of the proverbial rat race. The Arts Club wisely refrains from unnecessary frill and lets the playwright’s work take centre stage---there is little music, dramatic lighting is eschewed, and there is one basic set for each act.
In short, it’s simply a smart and pure love affair of good theatre. Be still, my beating heart.
Glengarry Glen Ross runs at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre until Aug. 22. Tickets available at artsclub.com.
