November 14, 2008
David Mamet’s play, "American Buffalo,” takes plays in a dusty curio shop filled with the material culture of our nation. A cacophony of useless minutia is strewn across the set in a microcosm of society. Likewise, the language of the marginal losers who inhabit this world is filled with empty rhetoric made poignant by desperation. The ill-thought plans of the characters form a conspiracy of fools wallowing in their own clichés. Like Mamet’s other play currently in revival, “Speed the Plow,” the action is centered around the bantering of three scoundrels pursuing an elusive American dream.
John Leguizamo storms across the stage as Walter “Teacher” Cole like the Q-Train barreling into Times Square and dominating the scene with hyperactive rawness. Meanwhile, Cedric – the actor, as shop owner Donny Dubrow, grounds the play, punctuating the dialogue with the terse, understated comeback. Youthful Haley Joel Osment (Bobby) holds his own among the titans, as a scruffy apprentice scum, tempest-tossed in despair and longing for acceptance.
I envy the set designers who must have had a ball scouring countless Salvation Armies, yard sales and their neighbor’s curbs on bulk pick up day for decayed Americana. The set takes a beating, and some props ended up in the audience. The script is tight, uncensored and very witty. The off-stage plot is difficult to follow, which is not surprising since the characters are as clueless about the real world truth as the audience. The wisdom of the night is when Teacher declares in sincere-yet-ironic terms: “one thing matters above all the rest – know what you’re talking about.”
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Posted on 11/14/2008
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