Photo courtesy of Empire Stage

Tension exists between Williamson (Matthew Schenk) and Levene (Michael H. Small) in a South Florida co-production of David Mamet’s powerful play Glengarry Glen Ross. 

By AARON KRAUSE

If Matthew Schenk’s eyes grew any wider and icier, they might unleash daggers. I mean that as a sincere compliment to Schenk. Indeed, he is part of a strong cast of actors performing in a suspenseful and fast-paced South Florida co-production of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross.

This co-production between Empire Stage and ArtBuzz Theatrics runs through Feb. 23 in the former’s intimate theatrical space in Ft. Lauderdale. The running time is about 90 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

Director Amir Darvish leads a cast of experienced, polished actors at the top of their game delivering lines that you would not want your children to hear. As a matter of fact, you could call Mamet’s famous (or infamous) language profane poetry. Perhaps you have heard of “Mamet Speak,” the playwright’s signature style of writing dialogue. It is fast, clever, vulgar, and edgy. Characters cut each other off, finish each other’s sentences, and repeat themselves while the other speaks.

Mamet Speak is not an easy style to master, but this cast nails it. So, bravo to Schenk, as well as David R. Gordon, Harry Redlich, Eric Purcell, Bob Sharkey, Michael H. Small, and Michael Vadnal.

Mamet Speak is a good fit for the desperate, vulgar, and aggressive characters who comprise the unethical world that the playwright depicts in Glengarry Glen Ross. It is an intense play that offers an unflinching look at the cutthroat world of capitalism during the early 1980s in Chicago. More specifically, Mamet’s masterpiece zeroes in on a real estate company. There, qualities such as civility do not exist. In addition, profits matter more than principles, and one of the key phrases is “Always Be Closing.”

Glengarry Glen Ross depicts parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents. They are willing to do whatever it takes to sell real estate to unwitting prospective buyers. OK, maybe they would not kill to make a sale (or would they?). However, their arsenal of unethical practices and qualities includes dishonesty, flattery, bribery, and burglary. Sound familiar?

Mamet wrote Glengarry Glen Ross during the early 1980s, which is also when he set this play. While several decades have passed since then, the piece remains relevant in 2025. Indeed, we live during a divisive time; acting nice seems like a lost art, we demand instant gratification, and our mentality is often “win at all costs.”

Mamet based Glengarry Glenn Ross on his time spent working in a real estate office. The play’s title stems from two real estate developments mentioned in the play. Glengarry Highlands is the prime real estate everyone is attempting to sell at the time of the play. And several characters mention Glen Ross Farms as a lucrative property.

Although Mamet’s play includes jargon, you do not have to be an expert in real estate to enjoy or find meaning in the piece. This is a fast-moving, unpredictable play whose tension is as thick as fog over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. After witnessing the unethical nature of these characters and hearing their vulgarities, you may resolve to be nicer to people at work and in your personal life. Also, you may think deeply about the values that drive our society.

Darvish directs with appropriate intensity, tension, and impactful pauses. Also, he has helped the performers make wise acting choices. For example, at times characters speak to each other without looking at one another. This reinforces tension between them. Also, sometimes a character leans forward while speaking, suggesting aggression and a sense of urgency. But these salesmen are not always mean. In fact, they might act nice toward unsuspecting customers just to gain their trust before turning ruthless.

As Ricky Roma, the office’s most successful salesman, Gordon seamlessly switches between the character’s softer side and a more aggressive demeanor. One moment, Gordon’s Roma sounds like a caring clergyman while he speaks to a customer. The next moment, he is a jerk.

As Dave Moss, a big-mouthed salesman with big dreams and schemes, Purcell speaks sharply and curses as though it were second nature to him. The words fly out of his mouth like lava from a volcano.

Small’s highly expressive face and voice breathe vibrant life into Shelley “The Machine” Levene. He is a once successful salesman who has fallen on hard times and has not closed a big deal in a long time. While watching and listening to Small, we sense his character’s desperation, his competitiveness, and his charisma. Truly, you cannot take your eyes off Small when he is speaking.

As Williamson, Schenk’s nonverbal expressions are also telling. For instance, the performer clearly conveys annoyance and impatience nonverbally and verbally. And again, his eyes can shoot daggers at you.

Other cast standouts include Vadnal, who looks and sounds believably nervous and insecure as customer James Lingk. Ditto for Redlich in the role of George Aaronow, an aging salesman with low self-esteem. And Sharkey carries an air of authority as Baylen, a detective called into the office to solve a mystery.

While this production is generally strong, we could do without an intermission. It interrupts the flow of action in a play as riveting as Glengarry Glen Ross. Besides, an intermission is unnecessary in a play with such a short running time.

Generally, the behind-the-scenes artists turn in quality work. And while the scenic design contains enough telling detail to set us in, at different times, a Chinese restaurant and real estate office during the 1980s, the office is too spacious. In the program, Darvish writes that the play’s power “lies in its intimacy of its sharp dialogue and confined spaces that intensify the desperation of its characters.” Sharkey and ArtBuzz Theatrics Artistic Director Larry Buzzeo handled scenic construction. In addition, Buzzeo is this production’s stage manager.

Preston Bircher’s realistic lighting befits this realistic play. And David Hart’s quality sound design helps make every word intelligible. Of course, it also helps that the theater is as small as it is. In such an intimate space, performances can seem more real and powerful since actors may not need to project as much as in a large theater.

The program does not mention a costume designer. But whoever it is did a solid job. The outfits befit the period and are appropriate for a working office environment.

Mamet is an influential playwright, screenwriter, and film director known for his realistic dialogue and complex characters. He is also known for his acting philosophy, which emphasizes action-oriented objectives, physicality, language, and authenticity. To their credit, this cast embraces these qualities in an overall winning effort.

Photo courtesy of Empire Stage

Aaronow (Harry Redlich) and Moss (Eric Purcell) communicate without looking at each other in ArtBuzz Theatrics and Empire Stage’s current production of Glengarry Glen Ross. 

IF YOU GO

WHAT: ArtBuzz Theatrics and Empire Stage’s co-production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross.

WHEN: Through Feb. 23.

WHERE: Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Ft. Lauderdale.

TICKETS: $40. GO to www.empirestage.com