"Glengarry Glen Ross" Talks Back

UPDATED at 3:08 p.m.

If timing is everything, the new Independent Drama Society (IDS) production of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” has it all.

After seeing a spot-on matinee Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of attending a talkback with the cast (minus actors Craig Houk and Bob Mussett), Director Brett Marks, Sound Designer Chris Larson and IDS Director of Marketing, Christine Toohey.

Over the course of a forty-five minute conversation, they collectively revealed some of the secret ingredients that make this particular version of Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece such a success.

• Jeremy Browne, who plays Williamson (Kevin Spacey’s character in the comparatively dry 1992 film), admitted to working a day job as an office manager this past year—exactly what his character does.

• Michael Fisher—perfect in the role of young gun office salesman Ricky Roma—spoke of his experience as a cellular phone salesman, something he described as, “off-putting and seedy.”

• Both Browne and Fisher mentioned having an unusually long rehearsal time (beginning in late November with a holiday break) as key in developing their characters and allowing the production to really flourish.

• Of the rapid-fire vulgar language practically raining out of Mamet’s dialogue, actor Phil Thompson (Shelly Levene) said, “That’s the nature of theater… but I also think the value in the shock is that it forces you to think.” Marks agreed, adding that, “The language is indicative of the world these men live in.” Fisher said he thought the play would still stand up with half as many obscenities, but essential authenticity would be lost.

• The entire cast felt that the male-only environment made certain aspects of this project easier. “I didn’t care about my opinions, appearance and attitude nearly as much as I might have otherwise,” Browne said. “Call it an environment of testosterone.”

• Testosterone also informed Chris Larson’s musical choices. “I pulled my ideas from Brett’s vision of the play—earthy, masculine, strong-stringed guitar work,” he said, noting loops of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and “Ohio” by Crosby Stills Nash & Young as two crucial choices.

• Actor Adam Lauver mused about the differences in the flowery dialogue of his recent performance in “Romeo & Juliet” with the short-sharp bark of his policeman Baylen in the Mamet play. “I’d be lying if I said there’s no difference to me going from prose to short two and three-word commands,” he said. “But there’s a lot to be learned about properly using the words, however brief.”

• Marks summed up the driving force behind his production. “Levene’s arc is the spine of this play,” he asserted. “I felt it was crucial to effectively pit the two generations of salesman against each other—a sort of ‘changing of the guard,’ compounded by the shifting economic climate of the ‘80’s. Levene makes the choice to try and survive in this new world. In the end, it’s the wrong choice and becomes his undoing.”

The IDS' new production of "Glengarry Glen Ross" runs through January 22. Tickets are $25 in advance, $28 the day of show and $18 for students and seniors. Call 617-933-8600.

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