GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS by David Mamet. Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh. To 6 October.

Edinburgh

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
by David Mamet

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh To 6 October 2001
Runs 1hr 35min One interval

TICKETS 0131 248 4848
Review Timothy Ramsden 29 September

Quality revival of Mamet's best play; fine performances and direction start the Lyceum season in style.
Mamet's lethal little masterpiece smashes the American city psyche through an apt metaphor – real estate. Land turned into lies, relationships debased to exploitation; promotion or bust. Close a big deal and you command the stage like a big-shot. Lose out and you're career dead.

Dog eats dog, and the one with the loudest howl is devious selling ace Richard Roma, splendidly shown by Tom McGovern in full animal ferocity. Walking into the office maybe he notices it's been trashed overnight, maybe not. But he's not going to be diverted from his obsession with his own success.

Several Mamet films (House of Games – curiously not listed among his works in the Lyceum programme – or The Spanish Prisoner) show intricate plotting. Glengarry has that too, though at first seeing its subtlety may be concealed by the explosion of words: jagged, cluttered, combustible verbal aggression.

But each of the three first half diner scenes concern corruption and, Roma apart, all the staff are prepared to shaft the company. By the end, this super successful conman is the only one not living a double life as police investigate the overnight break-in.

Lou Hirsch gives the old, on the slide drummer Shelley Levene a huge bonhomie that switches from dignity-free pleading to a triumphalism that lasts till he realises his career-saving sale's a dud. Hirsch's Levene almost gains a couple of shreds of dignity when his culpability comes to light and he's sold down the river by office boss Williamson (Neil McKinven).

And why does he feed Levene to the lions? He doesn't like him. It's the only time a word expressing personal relationships is uttered sincerely during the play.

Kenny Ireland directs this cruelly clear-eyed drama succinctly, helped by Hayden Griffin's sets, standardised elegance at first, then a dignified office belying the nature of the business, and Andy Phillips' lighting.

Shelley Levene: Lou Hirsch
John Williamson: Neil McKinven
Dave Moss: Mark McDonnell
George Aaronow: Ronnie Simon
Richard Roma: Tom McGovern
James Lingk: Robert Paterson
Baylen: Steven McNicoll

Director: Kenny Ireland
Designer: Hayden Griffin
Lighting: Andy Phillips

2001-10-06 01:12:59