It is a peculiar experience to consider the work of a famous playwright who gradually loses his goodwill. Every step of the process, from research to visualization and the entire page, shudders under the weight of the big questions: Art versus artist? Because now? Why this piece? Because he?
In the quest for honesty, you will find superstitions, ridiculous uncertainties, general confusion throughout the company, in production. s Its accompanying noise. Here and there you will find disheartened fans, confused spectators, passionate fans, sensible opponents and positions. You dig again. You deprive yourself of the details and organize them with your own observations. You look at the notes, the web of contradictions, the unsatisfying nature of it all.
David Mamet american buffalo Now on Broadway, it has an all-star cast. Lawrence Fishburn, Sam Rockwell and Darren Chris are cunning and agile in this revival of the 1975 play Caustic, where three thieves plan to steal. They follow Scott Pask’s embroidered ensemble as they attack each other in short prose signed by Mamet. His speech moves rhythmically, noisily mingled. They move over your body with precision and intent. This critic watched, admiring her dancing.
But an irritating feeling arises over and over again. Director Neil Pepe’s masterpiece is overshadowed by Mamet, a personality. Around Plaza de la Plaza, where the show will continue in early July, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright finds himself embroiled in controversy. He appeared on Fox News last week and, in defense of Florida’s evil and controversial parenting bill, the playwright told Mark Levine that teachers were “prone” to pedophilia and babysitting. A few days before responding to this inconsistent and paranoid right-wing conversation, he and Bill Maher had an intimate conversation about Mamet’s new book, which he believes is the end of free speech.
It’s not the first time that Mamet, known for his ability to sense a particular kind of working-class anxiety, has become the subject of such a headline. In 2008 he published an essay the voice of the people He gave up his allegiance to liberalism and embraced conservatism. He praised the founding fathers, marveled at the constitution and questioned his earlier criticisms of the military. He described his slide as an awakening to conservatism: after all, Mammet, unlike these liberals, lived in the real world. And yet, this world has curiously failed to consider the roles that white supremacy, patriarchy, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia play in establishing and maintaining this “equal opportunity” in the United States.
Years later, Mamet would return with more views, protesting gun control laws and the NFL’s National Anthem. The justification for his views was always based on the reality of humanity, which he no longer believed to be essentially good. “I started to wonder what I was really thinking and found that I don’t think most people are good at heart; “In fact, this view of human nature has driven and informed my writing for the last 40 years,” he wrote. Ხმა. “I think people can act like pigs under stress, and that’s really not just a good thing, it’s just drama.”
This is really the point. american buffalo. Don (Fishburn), Tech (Rockwell) and Bobby (Chris) are a troubled trio. The play begins with Don, a junk shop owner warning of his Gopher Bob’s negligence. He had a job: taking care of the house of a man Don believes he sold for less than a precious buffalo coin. The level had to be stolen and sold for higher prices, so he sent Bobby, downsized and ready to like the man’s house and see when he would come out.
The level that Fishburn plays as wise, demanding, but ultimately gentle takes the moment to give young Bob’s talk the importance of common sense and keeping his word in the line of business. Loyalty and action are the key. But Don goes on to say that breakfast and vitamins are the same thing. These are the fun twists that keep the game light and streamlined.
The humor also opens up the gruesome flow of the play. Teach, a moody and cheeky friend from the level, enters the shop in the middle of the conference. Mother Aiti’s costume here is impressive, as a well-dressed rocker gets into a fight with two women who hate him. Rockwell deftly uses Tech’s gruff demeanor, finding ways to deepen character that is easily felt on a single note. When Tech finds out about Bob’s level and plan, he wants in. He uses the moment Bobby leaves to prepare his breakfast to convince Don that a more experienced tutor like him is going to fire the boy. Some persuasion is needed, but Don finally agrees.
american buffalo It develops in a day. The first action takes place in the morning, at breakfast time, and the second just before midnight. This cramped, chaotic setting, filled with collectibles and vintage items, adds to the claustrophobic nature of the piece.
The play is about the theft, but also about conversations – suspicious, avoided, sad – before the robbery. It is in these moments – in addition to the cost of selling useless items, the brutal riot of those who lie in the cards, the fights and comments about correct treatment – that the central characters despair. To escape the small world of the shop, they need to earn big money and fast.
Much of the play, especially the language, is dated and therefore awful. But the system in which the characters live, where loyalty and friendship are not respected, is not inappropriate in our time. They take action, betray each other and destroy the trust they started with because the goal is to get rich or even comfortable.
Mamet wrote american buffalo Before his rejection of liberalism in 2008, at a time when he still seemed to believe in the critique of capitalism. I wonder what a playwright would say today who doesn’t look at his revivals, the system, the circumstances as he wrote it. ᲮმაWhich worsens the relationship between Don, Tech and Bob and forces them to act like pigs.
Location: Circle Square, New York
Cast: Lawrence Fishburn, Sam Rockwell, Darren Chris
Director: Neil Pepe
Playwright: David Mamet
Decorator: Scott Paski
Costume designer: Dede Ayite
Lighting Designer: Tyler Micoleau
Fight Director: J. David Brimmer
Starring Jeffrey Richards, Steve Traxler, Stephanie P. McClelland, Gfour Productions, Spencer Ross, Gemini Theatrical, Chris & Ashley Clarks, Suna Said Maslin, Ted & Richard Libowitz / Cue to Cue Productions, Patty Baker / Good Productions, Brad Blume, Caiola Productions, Joanna Carson, Arthur Kern, Willette, Jeremiah J. Harris, Darren P. Deverna, Van Kaplan, Patrick Myles / David Luff, Alexander Marshall, Ambassador Theater Group, Kathleen K. Johnson, Diego Kolankowsky, Steve and Jacob Levy Morvin Schmuckler , Brian Morland, Jacob Soroken Porter, Schubert Organization
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
