Oscar-winning actor Kieran Culkin and Emmy-winning actor Bob Odenkirk in the revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross” on Broadway.
Photo by Emilio Madrid/provided
David Mamet is back again with a starry Broadway revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” his 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning profanity-laced dark comedy about an unscrupulous pack of Chicago real estate salesmen, following earlier revivals in 2005 (with Alan Alda, Liev Schreiber, and Jeffrey Tambor) and 2012 (with Al Pacino, Bobby Cannavale, and Richard Schiff).
Three years ago, just as a new revival of Mamet’s 1975 breakout drama “American Buffalo” was being produced on Broadway, Mamet, who has turned into a zealous right-wing ideologue in recent years (dating back to a 2008 Village Voice article titled “Why I Am No Longer a ‘Brain-Dead Liberal’”), said in a Fox News interview that “teachers are inclined, particularly men, because men are predators, to pedophilia.”
While the revival was unmistakably excellent, Mamet’s comments cast an unavoidable shadow over it.
Even if you regret Mamet’s late-life personal transformation, it is hard to deny that “Glengarry” is among the best of Mamet’s muscular, male-dominated, expletive-filled plays (in addition to “American Buffalo” and “Speed-the-Plow”), and that the starry new Broadway production, which is directed by playwright Patrick Marber, delivers knockout entertainment, capturing the physicality, staccato musicality, humor, and ethical debates of the play.
This is also an ideal time to revisit “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which investigates toxic masculinity, race-to-the-top ruthlessness, disinformation in “the art of the deal,” and the cold rejection of both norms and sympathy for losers.
“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk plays Shelly Levene, a once-top-performing salesman formerly known as “The Machine,” who is now on the verge of being canned due to an extended dry streak. Odenkirk alternates between raspy, tired desperation and king-of-the-hill energy upon closing a deal.
Kieran Culkin, co-star of “Succession” and newly minted Oscar winner for “A Real Pain,” makes for a Ricky Roma who is more idiosyncratic and tightly wound—very much in the style of Roman Roy on “Succession”—than outright devilish or charming.
In his Broadway debut, stand-up comic Bill Burr (“Old Dads”) gets to vehemently rail and rage against his character’s employer to Michael McKean (longtime Broadway veteran and “Better Call Saul” supporting star), whose character is dour and seemingly terrified.
While Mamet’s offstage persona may continue to provoke discomfort, this revival reminds us why his plays—at their best—remain so potent onstage. “Glengarry” still crackles with vicious energy, bitter humor, and brutal truths about American ambition. This sharp, superbly cast production doesn’t just close deals—it slams the door.
Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway, glengarryonbroadway.com. Through June 28.
