Glengarry Glen Ross
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| Glengarry Glen Ross | |
 Poster from the 2005 New York Production |
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| Written by | David Mamet |
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| Characters | Richard Roma Shelly Levene James Lingk John Williamson George Aaronow Dave Moss Baylen |
| Setting | A Chinese restaurant (Act 1) A sales office (Act 2) |
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1984 Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning play by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical and/or illegal acts (from lies and flattery to bribery, threats and intimidation to burglary) in order to sell undesirable real estate to unwilling prospective buyers. The play draws partly on Mamet's experiences of life 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 characters (Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms[1]).
Mamet had sent the play to Harold Pinter for comment, who admired it and, as an associate director to Peter Hall, recommended it for production[citation needed]. As a result the world premiere was at the National Theatre in London on September 21, 1983, where Bill Bryden's production in the Cottesloe was acclaimed as a triumph of ensemble acting[2].
The play opened on Broadway on March 25, 1984 and closed on February 17, 1985. The production was directed by Gregory Mosher and starred Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Robert Prosky, Lane Smith, James Tolkan, Jack Wallace, and J.T. Walsh. The production was nominated for four Tony awards including Best Play, Best Director, and two Best Actor nominations for Robert Prosky and Joe Mantegna, who won the production's one Tony.
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[edit] Characters
- Richard "Ricky" Roma: The most successful salesman in the office. Although Roma seems to think of himself as a latter day cowboy, and regards his ability to make a sale as a sign of his virility, he admits himself it is all luck. He is ruthless, dishonest, and immoral, but succeeds because he has a talent for figuring out a client's weaknesses and crafting a pitch that will exploit those weaknesses. He is a smooth talker, and often speaks in grand, poetic soliloquies.
- Shelley "The Machine" Levene: An older man, a once-successful salesman who has fallen on hard times, and has not closed a big deal in a long time. He has a sick daughter, and needs money desperately, which is why he is constantly begging Williamson for some promising sales leads.
- James Lingk: A timid, middle-aged man who becomes Roma's latest client. Lingk is easily manipulated, and finds Roma highly charismatic.
- John Williamson: The office manager. The salesmen despise Williamson and look down on him, but need him desperately, because he's the one who hands out the sales leads.
- George Aaronow: An aging salesman with low self-esteem who lacks confidence and hope.
- Dave Moss: A big-mouthed salesman with big dreams and schemes. Moss resents Williamson, Mitch and Murray for putting such pressure on him, and plans to strike back at them by stealing all their best sales leads and selling them to a competitor. Moss sees Aaronow as a potential accomplice.
- Baylen: a police detective. He appears in the final act, to investigate the office break-in and interrogate each cast member behind closed doors.
- Mitch and Murray: These unseen characters are the owners of the real estate agency. They have set up a cruel sales "contest" that has put enormous pressure on the salesmen to produce, or to lose their jobs.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] ACT 1
(Set entirely in a Chinese restaurant):
Scene 1: Shelley Levene has been in a major slump, and has not made a sale in some time. He is desperate for money, and knows he will lose his job soon if he cannot turn things around. He tries in every way imaginable to convince office Manager John Williamson to give him some of "the Glengarry leads" (names and phone numbers of promising potential clients for expensive properties the firm will be selling in the near future). Williamson adamantly refuses. Levene tries first to charm Williamson, then to threaten him, and finally to bribe him. Williamson is willing to sell some of the prime leads, but demands cash in advance. Levene cannot come up with the cash and must leave without any good leads to work with.
Scene 2: Dave Moss and George Aaronow are complaining about Mitch and Murray, the big bosses. They hate the pressure management has put on them to succeed. Moss tells Aaronow that they need to strike back at Mitch and Murray by stealing all the Glengarry leads and selling them to another real estate agency. Moss's plan would require the hapless Aaronow to break into the office, stage a burglary, and steal all the prime leads. Aaronow wants no part of the plan, but Moss intimidates him, saying that Aaronow is already an accomplice, legally, simply because he listened to the idea.
Scene 3: Ricky Roma delivers a long, disjointed but compelling monologue to a meek, middle-aged man named James Lingk. Roma does not bring up the real estate he wants to sell to Lingk until the very end. Instead, Roma preys upon Lingk's insecurities, and his sense that he has never done anything adventurous with his life. "When you die, you'll regret the things you didn't do," Roma tells Lingk, who finds Ricky spellbinding. Lingk sees in Ricky Roma all the virtues he lacks: virility, confidence, a sense of adventure. By the time Roma brings out sales brochures, Lingk is ready to do almost anything to ingratiate himself with Roma.
[edit] ACT 2
(Set entirely at the sales office):
Someone has broken into the office and stolen everything that wasn't bolted down, including the Glengarry leads. Williamson has called in a police detective, who interrogates each salesman behind closed doors, in Williamson's office. George Aaronow is extremely nervous, and guilty-looking.
Shelley Levene bursts into the office, looking deliriously happy, because he has finally sold a large plot of land to a couple named Nyborg. In his joy, he hardly seems to notice that the office is in shambles.
A nervous James Lingk enters the office, looking for Ricky Roma. Lingk's wife has ordered him to cancel the sales contract he signed with Roma, and under Illinois law, he has the right to terminate that contract within 72 hours. Lingk asks for his check to be refunded. Roma tries to stall him, by assuring him the contract has not been turned in and the check has not yet been cashed. At this point, John Williamson (who has completely misread the situation) steps in to reassure Lingk that the contract has been sent through and the check has been deposited. Horrified, Lingk leaves to seek redress from the state Attorney General's office.
Ricky Roma is furious at Williamson, who has blown a big sale and commission for him. He berates and humiliates Williamson, calling him a "fairy" and asking him "who told you you could work with men?" When Roma is finished, he has to leave to be interviewed by the police detective. Shelley Levene picks up where Roma left off, and begins insulting Williamson, telling him what a stupid mistake it was to lie about turning in the contract and depositing the check.
Williamson realizes then that Shelley Levene must have been the thief — only the real thief could have known that he was lying, because only the real thief could have known that the contract and the check were sitting on Williamson's desk. Williamson accuses Levene, and threatens to tell his suspicions to the police detective. Levene folds, and admits pathetically that he and Dave Moss were the thieves. Once again, he tries to bribe Williamson to forget about the crime. He offers to give Williamson his commission from the Nyborg sale. Williamson laughs at this and reveals to Levene that the Nyborgs are crazy old folks who have no money and just enjoy talking to salesmen. Williamson has been feeding Levene worthless leads like the Nyborgs for months, because he just does not like Shelley.
When Roma comes back from his interrogation, Williamson goes to tell the detective that Moss and Levene are the thieves. Roma, who has no idea what just went on between Williamson and Levene, proposes to Shelley that they should form their own partnership. Shelley smiles sadly, and agrees, knowing that he is going to be arrested any moment. The detective comes out and calls Levene's name. Shelley meekly walks away with the detective.
[edit] Language
The play is noteworthy for the flow of 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: down payments for real estate, access to valuable sales leads, and even co-operation in conspiracies. The play also shocked audiences with its (for the time) raw language, with its roughly 150 uses of the word "fuck" or variations, as in this early scene, when desperate salesman Shelley Levene tries to persuade the office manager, Williamson, to give Levene prospects (or "leads") to sell to:
- Levene: I need the leads. I need them now. Or I'm gone, and you're going to miss me, John, I swear to you.
- Williamson: Murray...
- Levene: ...you talk to Murray...
- Williamson: I have. And my job is to marshal those leads...
- Levene: Marshal the leads...marshal the leads? What the fuck, what bus did you get off of, we're here to fucking sell. Fuck marshaling the leads. What the fuck talk is that? What the fuck talk is that? Where did you learn that? In school?
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-
- (pause)
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- That's "talk," my friend, that's "talk." Our job is to sell. I'm the man to sell. I'm getting garbage.
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-
- (pause)
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- You're giving it to me, and what I'm saying is it's fucked.
[edit] Controversy
There was controversy over lines in the play, and in the movie adaptation of it, which it was claimed showed prejudice against people from India.[3] As a result, Mamet removed the language from the latest Broadway revival.
The controversial dialog included in the movie version about a potential lead from a South Asian family named Patel is quoted on Wikiquote as follows:
- [Ricky Roma gets a lead from Williamson with a familiar "deadbeat" name]
- Ricky Roma: Patel? Ravadem Patel? How am I gonna make a livin' on these deadbeats? Where did you get this one from, the morgue?
- Williamson: Look, I'm...
- Ricky Roma: Oh come on, what's the point? What's the fucking point in any case I gotta argue with you, I gotta knock heads with the cops, I'm busting my balls to sell your dirt to deadbeats. [waves the lead]
- Ricky Roma: Money in the mattress.
- Williamson: [handing Roma lead cards] I'm giving you three leads...
- Ricky Roma: Three? I count two.
- Williamson: There's three leads there.
- Ricky Roma: "Patel"? Fuck you. Fucking Shiva handed this guy a million dollars, said "Sign the deal!" he wouldn't sign. And the god Vishnu, too. Fuck you, John! You know your business, I know mine. Your business is being an asshole. I find out whose fucking cousin you are, I'm going to go to him and figure out a way to have your a - Fuck You! I'm waiting for the new leads.
[edit] Productions
The world premiere of Glengarry Glen Ross was on September 21, 1983 in the Cottesloe Theatre at the National Theatre in London. It was directed by Bill Bryden and the original cast was:
- Derek Newark as Shelley Levene
- Karl Johnson as John Williamson
- Trevor Ray as Dave Moss
- James Grant as George Aaronow
- Jack Shepherd as Richard Roma
- Tony Haygarth as James Lingk
- John Tams as Baylen
Glengarry Glen Ross premiered in the United States at the Goodman Theatre of the Arts Institute of Chicago in a Chicago Theatre Groups, Inc. production on February 6, 1984. The play opened on Broadway on March 25, 1984 at the John Golden Theatre, in a production directed by Gregory Mosher. The original American cast is below, with Lane Smith replacing William L. Petersen on Broadway.
- Robert Prosky as Shelley Levene
- J. T. Walsh as John Williamson
- James Tolkan as Dave Moss
- Mike Nussbaum as George Aaronow
- Joe Mantegna as Richard Roma
- Lane Smith as James Lingk
- Jack Wallace as Baylen
The play received numerous Tony Award nominations, including those for the director, Mosher, and actors Prosky and Mantegna, with Mantegna winning in the Best Featured Actor category.
The award-winning 1992 film version of Glengarry Glen Ross used an expanded script featuring a role specifically written for Alec Baldwin[1].
- Jack Lemmon as Shelley Levene
- Kevin Spacey as John Williamson
- Ed Harris as Dave Moss
- Alan Arkin as George Aaronow
- Al Pacino as Richard Roma
- Jonathan Pryce as James Lingk
- Jude Ciccolella as Baylen
- Alec Baldwin as Blake
In 2005, Glengarry Glen Ross was revived on Broadway, opening on May 1, 2005 at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre), in a production directed by Joe Mantello. The revival cast was:
- Alan Alda Shelley Levene
- Frederick Weller as John Williamson
- Gordon Clapp as Dave Moss
- Jeffrey Tambor as George Aaronow
- Liev Schreiber as Richard Roma
- Tom Wopat as James Lingk
- Jordan Lage as Baylen
The revival received numerous Tony Award nominations, including Best Featured Actor nominations for Alda, Clapp, and Schreiber, with Schreiber taking home the prize. The production also won a Tony for Best Revival of a Play. On September 27, 2007, the play was revived at the Apollo Theatre, London, starring Jonathan Pryce as Shelley, alongside Aidan Gillen (Roma), Paul Freeman (George), Matthew Marsh (Dave) and Peter McDonald (Williamson). The production was directed by James Macdonald. Glengarry Glen Ross has also been produced as a radio play for BBC Radio 3, featuring Hector Elizondo, Stacy Keach, Bruce Davison, and Alfred Molina as Roma, and first airing March 20, 2005.
[edit] References
- ^ a b IMDB. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - Trivia. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ Programme note by critic Michael Coveney for the 2007 London revival at the Apollo Theatre.
- ^ "Mamet play to premiere in S.F." Craig, P. Contra Costa Times. February 27, 2004.
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