Glengarry Glen Ross: A Play

"Glengarry Glen Ross" shows off to great effect the power of Mamet's language. Some readers may focus on the profanity -- and there is plenty of it -- but the profanity only serves to underscore the overwhelming anger that drives the characters in the play. Mamet's characters are bit players on a stage dominated by cockroach capitalism. It's a world that measures a man's worth solely by his ability to turn a buck, and if he can't do it, he's worthless. The characters know this, and they rail against this knowledge in venom-filled, machine-gun bursts of words.
Beyond the anger, however, the language derives its power from Mamet's much-discussed use of everyday rhythmic patterns of speech. Characters interrupt one another, leave thoughts unsaid, toss out cryptic ideas, and finish one another's sentences. It all sounds and feels absolutely real, and if you've ever tried to do it yourself, you know how difficult it is for a playwright to accomplish it.
In the end, Mamet's play presents a bleak world, yet it's a refreshing antidote to the cheerleading from the press and elsewhere that American business generally enjoys today. Mamet reveals the dark corners of small-time business, the petty jealousies, the insincere work relationships, the undisguised chauvanism, the phony macho posturing, and most of all the clear understanding among all concerned that the only measure of worth is the mark in the ledgerbook that says you made a sale. If most of the characters sound unsatisfied, it's because they are. Selling, the play says, is a hard way to make a living, and it comes at enormous spiritual cost.
I found the play's ending (which I won't give away) a bit unsatisfying and I can imagine that some readers might find the repitition in the dialogue tedious. Still, there is no denying, in my mind, the power of Mamet's vision and his devotion to his technique.

David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner "Glengarry Glen Ross" is an electrifying play filled with drama, tragedy, and bitter and sarcastic humor. This is a play that shows you the world of business and just how cold and calculating it can be. It also shows us just how cold and calculating human beings can be as well.
The play is about real estate salesmen who will do just about anything to get a sale. "Always Be Closing" is the motto to follow, however when they don't get the good leads they need, it makes it more difficult for them to close the deals. What's worse is that if they don't pick up the pace, more than one of them will find themselves out of the job. There are the "Glengarry Leads;" the premium leads, but they're reserved for closers only. Things take a dramatic turn when the office is broken into and the leads are nowhere to be found, leading us to a memorable climax.
I read the play after seeing the film. I enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoyed seeing the movie. There are a few things that were added to the film version in order to make it a full length movie, but all of the important elements and classic lines are all there. Mamet has a great ear for dialogue and writes the way people talk. Sure, some people will think there's a lot of swearing and profanities, but this play is a reflection of the business world. And this is the way people talk. It is amazing how well written and structured it is.
"Glengarry Glen Ross" is a terrific drama and an enjoyable play to read. I recommend it to anyone who loves a great read. You'll have it finished in no time. The pages literally turn by themselves. Dripping with sharp dialogue, memorable characters, and quiet suspense and action, "Glengarry Glen Ross" is an outstanding achievement in American drama. Read this one as soon as you can.

This powerful and moving play--winner of the 1984 Pultizer Prize for Drama--uses the world of real estate sales to depict four salesmen who who work, or maybe struggle, to "close a deal" with less than ideal clients (financially speaking). The key word here is "closing." Throughout the play we hear the mantra "Always be Closing" as these men compete for the highest sales, which can lead to better sales leads and maybe even a new Cadillac.
The characters make this play powerful. Shelly, in his 50s, has a great history as a salesman but struggles today. The play begins with him negotiating--almost begging--for a prime sales lead. Unfortunately the dog-eat-dog world that currently employes him has little or no appreciation for his current failures and past success. Meanwhile Shelly tries to pass off his current performance (or lack of) as a slump, a move that somewhat reminds me of Willy Loman making excuses. Though Willy Loman and the characters of this play live in the same American dream of manifest destiny, the similarities are limited. Starting with Shelly, the characters of Mamet's play seem to have a more vicious inward-looking and selfish perspective toward life. Their American dream seems shallow and selfish compared to Willy's.
We see this same selfishness in scene two where Moss and Aaronow discuss the opportunity to steal the best customer leads (lists of names) from their own office, sell them to a competitor, and then maybe go work for that competitor. Like Shelly, these two salesmen appear selfish as they first fantasize about the midnight adventure only to find that one of them is quite serious.
Next comes Roma, the apparently most successful salesman of this group who is in his 40s. Not seeing Roma until the third scene, we cannot help but wonder if he will one day end up with a merciless boss who doesn't care about past sucesses (just like Shelly and the others who are in their 50s)? Roma seems to articulate the most certain morality of the main characters. He initially appears most anchored, but toward the end he talks with a customer experiencing sales remorse and we are left to wonder about Roma as well.
The play's end is quite compelling. We are not surpised in one sense, giving the ethical code of this bunch. Yet, we are quite surprised to see who emerges "alpha male" inside this office. I cannot help feeling some compassion for these salesmen who manipulate, scheme, and appear to think little of anyone but themselves. It is an amazingly simple and powerful conclusion.
I read this play in a single evening. I could not put it down. The tensions Mamet creates are compelling and many. Not since Miller's "The Crucible" have I read such a powerful play. Though this is the first work I have read from Mamet, I think I can begin to see why his work is so highly regarded. I am only sorry that the play is short and does not require more than one evening to finish. I would have enjoyed spending more time with the text.

Glengarry Glen Ross, a real estate sales firm run by contentious and pugnacious animals, connives innocent folks into buying land at above market value. In David Manet's shocking "Glengarry Glen Ross", the ugly and cutthroat side of sales comes alive in three cantankerous salesman that do whatever it takes to keep their head above the cutoff line, the sales quota, and a younger sales manager precariously holding his position of authority over them. Parts of Glengarry come alive in brilliant voices that uncannily mimic true sales forces. Most of the play, however, divulges into long-winded rants that fail to thrust the plot forward. Manet's use of profanity is excessive and is a weak attempt to create a realistic sales environment. Yes, people swear and lie and bicker, but Manet's dependence on these moors, instead of a rich plot and multi-faceted characters, is unsuccessful and tiresome.

Another play I've read (and reviewed) on sales that packs much more a punch is Miller's "The Death of a Salesman".

Thought provoking and a hell of a mystery, this play is quite likely one of the best works of the past two decades.
If you're an actor, this is the play you NEED to read. As in so many of Mamet's plays, this play is about what ISN'T said. Many people don't like Mamet's style of dialogue because of that, but actors should embrace it, as it gives room for interpretation and character creation. It's a great opportunity to stretch your muscles with bare bones dialogue and clear-cut motivations.
For people who aren't actors, this is an engaging tale of greed, desperation and men-at-odds. Think Miller's "Death of a Salesman" with a dog-eat-dog bent. Modern movies that show definite signs of this play's influence - "The Usual Suspects" and "Reservoir Dogs". If you liked what those movies put on the plate, you'll love this book.

Although I will always picture in my mind the absolutely stellar cast (Lemmon, Pacino, Harris, Arkin, Spacey, Baldwin, Pryce) from the 1992 New Line Cinema motion picture, I would like to imagine that the stage productions provided equal measures of vitality. After all, it is the words themselves which are important here. Thus, my 5-star review of [[ASIN:B00005JKG9 Glengarry Glen Ross]] is equally appropriate for this, the original play. This trip through David Mamet's unique voice is very enjoyable, not least because the film stayed true to the original. (Mamet adapted his own work for the film.)

A few important differences are noted below.

* In the film, the end of Scene One, where Levine and Williamson take shelter in the car during a rainstorm, is very effective. The closed quarters highlight the desperation. In the play, their entire conversation takes place in the restaurant. Also, an early portion of the long conversation between Moss and Aaronow takes place in the coffee shop, while in the play, they are in the Chinese restaurant as well. Here, too, I think the settings in the film are better, as we see Aaronow being pursued from place to place. Glengarry Glen Ross shows us, after all, that it isn't only suckers who are targeted; the salesmen go after each other as well. [Note: one (ad-libbed?) improvement was Ed Harris' "The leads to Graff. Yes. I was saying--yeah. A guy could take--like anything else, it seams to me, that is negotiable, a guy could sell them."]

* Of course the absence of Alec Baldwin's character (named Blake, not that it is ever used in the film, other than in the credits) is notable. Mamet wrote in this role expressly for the film. Of somewhat less importance is the role of Larry Spannel which also does not appear in the original script.

* Act Two seems almost entirely identical, play vs. film. The most intriguing (and disturbing) difference seems to be with Roma's character at the very end. He becomes much less likable by attempting to cut in on Levine's commissions. Or is there something more to the story that I missed?

Fourteen bucks is a lot to pay for what is a very fast read, but then again I am not rating based on price, and in the end this is something you can enjoy frequently. I know I do.

(Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama)

Glengary Glenn Ross is a dense, throttling work in which the lead characters - day-to-day salesmen at a real estate firm - take on the role of career-hungry hatchet men whose primary goal is to sell, sell, sell at whatever cost, for the word 'No' does not exist in the global lexicon. The characters: Roma, Williamson, Levene, Moss and Aaronow, must mark their territory, must carve their niche in the rigorous business world, must clasp on to, in sheer desperation, their paltry slice of the American pie, for if they do not, others will not hesitate to use their cunning deceit and quenchless greed to take that opportunity which others are reluctant to take. One would believe that Mr. Mamet wrote this play to showcase to his readers and audience the avariciousness, hypocrisy, indifference and duplicity that seemed to be an inherent characteristic of the corporate business person and booming yuppie generation of the eighties. But this play can not be pigeonholed as a representation of a single decade, for the corporate mentality can not be boxed in. It can and will expand, but to the dismay of many, it can't be stopped, because if it does, only economic and social horror will arise. For some individuals in this line of work, it is a Catch-22. David Mamet elucidates the Catch-22 factor very palpably in this play. In one sense, to be reasonably prosperous in business, you have to be tough and occasionally rotten to the core. If you are, success may come in your direction. On the other hand, if you are kind and a sort of middle man or below that in respects to leadership qualities, the attainment of wealth and success might as well be nil. There is no middle ground; the characters are either one or the other, and God help the person who does not have the thick skin to survive emotionally in business. It is hard to keep moving on with something when (the characters especially) have so much invested in it, and worse, when they hate it:
Aaronow: Did they find the guy who broke in the office yet? Roma: No. I don't know. Aaronow: Did the leads come in yet? Roma: No. Aaronow: Oh, God, I hate this job. (Page 108)
Glengary Glenn Ross does not read like a traditional literary play that tugs at the heartstrings like some other works. And that is why it is so unusual; the language, the dialogue, is gritty, curt and quick-witted. The profanity is sometimes excessively base. The whole play is unreserved. Needless to say, a crime is committed in the firm. Who did it? Why was it done? And what does the crime teach the person? This work isn't just about the exploration of morals and priorities in the business world, for if it was, it would severely limit and mollify its power and depth. What the play teaches is that the all mighty dollar and all the material accoutrements that come with a fine and flourishing career might be more of a detriment to the true inner qualities that we do not allow ourselves as human beings to show for fear of being dumped upon and cast aside to the gutter. This play is not embossed with excessive dripping sweetness or philiosophical musings; it is emotionally volatile, and as a 'practical' sales dictum or truism might communicate: If you can't handle it, get off the ship.

David Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner about the nastiness of American capitalism requires two acts, two sets, and seven men to perform. In a general sense, the play concerns a real estate sales office where sales reps peddling worthless properties are pitted against each other in a contest of sales quotas.

Act One is set at a restaurant frequented by the sales reps and offers three scenes. In the first scene, sales rep Shelly Levene, who hasn't made a significant sale in quite some time, begs office manager John Williamson for decent sales leads--only to have Williamson squirm away from him. In the second scene, sales rep Dave Moss tries to involve co-worker George Aaronow in a plot to steal the list of sales leads from the office and sell them to a competitor--and seems to trap Aaronow into agreeing to the plan. In the final scene, top sales rep Ricky Roma slowly but surely manipulates a stranger, James Lingk, into hearing a sales pitch. Although the three scenes introduce us to the various sales reps, the scenes do not seem to link up in any particular way--until Act Two, when the various reps arrive at work to find the office has been robbed of typewriters, telephones, and files that contain the all important sales leads. Bit by bit, the various conversations of Act One re-emerge in a series of revelations that demonstrate just how nasty, cut-throat, and underhanded the characters really are.

Mamet's script has three significant strikes against it. It is relentlessly profane, and while this was a powerful statement in 1984, such is no longer really the case. A few of the terms and statements can still make us raise an eyebrow, but we've really heard it all before. The characters are extremely unsympathetic, and the story is surprisingly slight. A fourth quality can be taken as positive or negative: Mamet writes in a very distinct style. Many people find it fascinating; others, as a friend of my acidly commented, find it akin to conversations in an airport lounge between flights. Recommended, but it is a play whose power fades a bit more with every passing year.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

David Mamet is not a playwright for the conventional puritan.
Having started with that disclaimer, I must profess my true love of this play. Mamet writes with the epitome of realism; although his dialogue seems short, unbelievable, and disjointed, it is, in short, the way people really think. Glengarry Glen Ross is a play about cutthroat business in Chicago and the men who'll do anything to get to the top.
Mamet has a style of writing that many find to be annoying, but I find it to be creatively unique. He never actually comes out and states anything you need to know; his exposition, for example, takes place not in five pages but in practically one act, in a manner that makes you slap your forehead midway and say "Oh! Now I get it!"
Be forewarned, Mamet writes in language that many consider abusive and offensive, but keep in mind abusive and offensive characters do not mean an abusive and offensive playwright. Mamet seeks to portray American business life as it really is, not sugared down like many idealists.

Mamet has always been a notable master of drama and this is certainly one of his finest outings. What makes this play notable is it's deceptive simplicity. The movie adaptation of this play muddied up one of it's finest strengths- a hermetically-sealed world in which the lives of these salesmen are completely wrapped around 'the leads'. The play's claustrophobia is built in the two locations-a restaurant booth and an office. The isolation is underscored through language as Mamet builds a language of discourse. Through all the swearing, the most cruel insult in this world is to be called 'a child.' This is a world of men and these men are battling for the Holy Grail of real estate- the Leads.
The language of this play is not naturalistic- it is a sledgehammer of goals. Characters are interrupted or wholy ignored by those with the power. The dark, ruthlessness of the characters has a clear Pinter influence (Mamet dedicated the play to Pinter). The moment that any character is forced to reveal something personal about themselves, the sparks of aggressive avoidance begin to fly. You can't help talking like Roma or Levene after reading this play.