If the name David Mamet doesn't mean anything to you, it should. Mamet is one of America's most renowned playwrights. One of his most famous plays, "Glengarry Glen Ross," is currently on stage at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
Its male-centric story about cutthroat, money-hungry Chicago real estate agents trying to swindle unsuspecting clients has won accolades across the board, including Tony Award nominations and a Pulitzer Prize. Marquee caught up with Rep actor Peter Silbert, who plays the desperate, aging salesmen Shelley Levene, to share his thoughts on the production.
Q: David Mamet is one of the most famous playwrights in the world. How does it feel to be a part of one of his productions?
Silbert: As a member of a Rep company, most of the plays I do are first quality. We do some new plays and they are the best ones we find after vetting literally hundreds of scripts. The others we do are world classics — Shakespeare, Ibsen, Moliére, Shaw and others, so doing a brilliant play is nothing new to us. "Glengarry Glen Ross" is a great American play. So are "Death of a Salesman" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
Q: Had you seen the play performed beforehand? Or was the 1992 film version a point of reference for you (specifically Jack Lemmon's performance)?
Silbert: I have never seen "Glengarry" onstage except for the Milwaukee Rep's 1986 production that I was in. I did see the 1992 film when it came out and once again a few years ago. I have done my best to put the film out of my mind which is hard because everyone in it was A-list and were terrific in their roles. But as a rule one never patterns his performance on a film. It's impossible to do anyway.
Q: Tell us about your character, Shelley Levene.
Silbert: Shelly Levene is a once great salesman on the decline. He may seem out of his depth now but only a couple of years ago he was the lion of the office. But he's been on a bad streak for awhile now and his desperation shows – to the managers and to the clients. He's insecure and uncertain of his future, not only as a salesman but as an aging, ill man. He has a daughter who we believe is a paraplegic and he is desperate to provide for her before his ability to earn is cut short.
Q: What is the tone of the play? Does it ask us to sympathize with its characters while they lie, cheat and steal?
Silbert: Mamet created very accurate, three dimensional and deep characters. Our job is to figure out what they want and what they do to get it. Mamet has said that his characters use language only to get what they want. These men do lie, cheat and steal. Mamet neither condemns them nor asks the audience to sympathize with them. He has said that the salesmen he worked with were great guys and that he loved them.
Q: You mentioned the characters use language to get what they want. The play is supposedly famous for its explicit language. Do you feel the profanity is integral to convey these characters?
Silbert: The profanity in "Glengarry" is integral not only to the characters but to the rhythm of the speeches. If one were to cut the "bad words," the speeches would have a choppy, a-rhythmic feel. Mamet worked in a real estate sales office which was the model for this one and his memories of how the men he worked with spoke are the basis for the amount of profanity in "Glengarry." Back in 1986, the first time we did the play, all anyone talked about was the language. This time they talk about the play. We've all grown up a little.
Q: What do you think the play says about American capitalism, greed and the drive to succeed?
Silbert: The play shows men in the belly of the capitalist beast. They will either survive with their jobs and manhood intact or they will be crushed and spit out. You succeed or you die. I doubt that David Mamet feels that capitalism is inherently evil, but he does show us how pure Darwinian capitalism can twist and destroy men.
"Glengarry Glen Ross" runs through March 2. Ticket prices vary but typically range from $12 to $54.