Glengarry Glen Ross at The Old Vic Review
Rosa Salazar and Mercedes Bahleda in Glengarry Glen Ross at The Old Vic. Photo by Manuel Harlan.
Written by Becky K for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
The high stakes of American capitalism are easy to mock, and Patrick Marber’s staging of David Mamet’s 1983 play, ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’, does just that. With its statement all-female casting of male, self-interested businessmen, Marber’s reimagining creates a satirical comedy on the dog-eat-dog nature of American salesmen that could be pushed further conceptually.
Mamet’s fast-paced narrative follows the antics of four real-estate agents closely, desperately scrambling to beat their office competition in sales. They negotiate, lie, scheme and thieve to try to get themselves up the ladder, ultimately following the same trend you would see in business dramas such as ‘Succession’ where trust runs thin between the characters.
Elegantly set in the round, Rob Howell’s minimalist set created the spectator feel that might come with an arena fight or bear pit. This suits the interactions between the characters; from sussing each other out, to verbally sparring against each other. However, Marber could do more to elevate the space in this way in his blocking, with some of the scenes feeling a bit static. The most visually striking moment is the start of the second half, where the robbery of the business leads in the office is demonstrated by hundreds of reflecting pieces of paperwork falling from the ceiling, littering the stage. The messiness around the newly-revealed corporate desks punctuated the more traditional drama to follow, bringing with it a tone that was undeniably more serious than previously.
What really drove the story was the strong performances of Marber’s all-female cast. Rosa Salazar’s display of maverick salesman Roma was compelling to watch. Her macho energy and slightly sarcastic delivery lent themselves to the comedy, creating a caricature of how a sleazy American businessman can dominate a space. Likewise, Indira Varma’s performance as Levene thoughtfully guides you through the highs and lows of an all-or-nothing environment. Her shift from overbearing confidence to timid desperation is expertly delivered, and offers the most poignant moment of the production.
The choice to have the characters look unapologetically female while acting like men adds another lens to the storytelling. Visually, a robbery while putting on lipstick - or flirtatiously seducing a vulnerable client into a sale - makes the overall stakes of the play comically trivial. Again, this is an intriguing concept that Marber could further explore to highlight the themes of misogyny in Mamet’s original.
Performing at The Old Vic until 18th July, Glengarry Glen Ross is a display of impressive acting, yet falls slightly anticlimactic in comparison to the dramatic expectations to other corporate dramas.
★★★
