By David Mamet
Directed by Amy Morton
At Steppenwolf Main Stage Theatre
Strong performances launch Mamet’s American Buffalo
Don: “Well Bob, I’m sorry, but this isn’t good enough. If you want to do business. . .if we got a business deal it isn’t good enough. I want you to remember this.”
Bobby: “I do.”
Don: “Yeah, now. . .but later, what? (Pause.) Just one thing, Bob. Action counts. (Pause.) Action talks and bullshit walks.”
Don to Bobby: “There’s business and there’s friendship, Bobby. There are many things, and when you walk around you hear a lot of things, and what you got to do is keep clear who your friends are, and who treated you like what, or else the rest is garbage, because things are not always what they seem to be.”
David Mamet’s 1975 American Buffalo is a tour de force vehicle for the three characters and director Amy Morton has cast quite well with Tracy Letts as Teach, Francis Guinan as Donny and Patrick Andrews as Bob. This, indeed, is an ‘actors’ show’ as the above eked out all of the dark humor and pathos David Mamet intended. Mamet is known as a “language playwright” in that he has an ear for the language, the cadence, and the rhythms of common man’s speech. Filled with incomplete sentences, half thoughts flowered with obscenities that change meanings with slight tone inflections, Mamet’s dialogue has crude poetic flavor that is both funny and pathetic.
The setting is Chicago in a basement junk shop (terrific set design by Kevin Depinet) run by Don, played in an understated turn by Francis Guinan–who is a treasure of a great actor. He is giving lessons on business tactics to the slow-witted junkie hustler Bob played effectively by Patrick Andrews. One of the themes Mamet deals with here is the conflict between business matters and friendship that gets confused as the losers never understand why life treats them so harshly.
Don has sold an American Buffalo nickel coin to a customer for $90 but he now feels that he got suckered by the collector and he vows to steal back that coin and the entire collection from the mark. Bob is being recruited to break into the collector’s apartment on Lake Shore Drive. However, Teach played with terrific intensity by Tracy Letts, arrives at the junk shop in time to overhear Don’s planning with Bob. He uses a combination of guilt, pressure and intimidation to get Don to drop Bob and include him as the leader of the heist. The banter between Don and Teach is precious Mamet containing his naturalistic speech cadence and the convoluted logic that losers use to justify their urges.
As the heist unravels, we witness the frustration Don and especially Teach exhibit when they realize that another get-rich scheme has eluded them. Ruled by their emotions, these nasty, stupid guys exude menace while they struggle for identity, dominance and wealth.
Letts, Guinan and Andrews give emotionally deep performances as they deftly articulate Mamet’s language while encompassing the truthfulness of these losers. The acting far surpasses the writing that seems a tad dated except for those who have never seen this classic work. The power, emotion, and pathos of these guys rings true. This show is a graduate course in acting and elocution.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Jeff Recommended
Performances ran December 3, 2009, through February 14, 2010 (extended from February 7), in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Running time was 1 hour, 45 minutes with intermission.
Other American Buffalo reviews: Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. (2016)