Gerry Colganreviews Glengarry Glen Rossat the Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin

Glengarry Glen Ross
Pavilion, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin

David Mamet's play won numerous awards when it first appeared in 1984, and it is still easy to see why. The four real estate salesmen at its heart are embodiments of the nastier passions of pride, covetousness and envy, those rough beasts slouching through the undergrowth of stunted lives. They seek not only money but fulfilment, represented by an office chart evaluating their individual performances. The result is heady drama.

Shelly Levene is a tragic figure, once a top seller but now on the skids. In the course of the play, he touches past heights again briefly, only to crash in double disaster. Richard Roma is the new hotshot, not quite as smart as he thinks, but still a winner. George Aaronow is elderly and slipping, while Dave Moss has the instincts of a huckster and thief.

Then there is John Williamson, the office manager who despises the salesmen, who reciprocate with venom; he is not of their tribe. Lingk is an outsider, a weakling duped by Roma, and Baylen is the tough cop brought in to investigate a burglary. For some two hours, the stage blazes with searing dialogue, profane and abusive. By the downbeat ending, some have lost and others survived, but nobody has won.

The Keegan Theatre from Washington, on its annual tour around Irish theatres, has again brought with it a classic American play, and presents it with authenticity. The lead actors Daniel Lyons (Levene), Roma (Mark A Rhea) and Colin Smith (Williamson) bring authority to their roles, and are well supported by Peter Finnegan, Barry Abrams, Michael Innocenti and Daniel Martin. Jeremy Skidmore directs.

Runs to Sept 8; then continues national tour