Review: Glengarry Glen Ross (The Old Vic)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️

Matthew Warchus’ final season as Artistic Director of the Old Vic has been nothing short of impressive so far, with acclaimed productions of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Arcadia, with the latter enjoying a West End transfer. Last week's announcement of productions coming later this year only fuelled the excitement, but before that comes an intriguing gender-swapped revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. Would this classic tale on real estate agents prove to be too hard a sell?

Premiering at National Theatre in 1983, David Mamet’s play has enjoyed multiple productions in the years since, both in the West End and on Broadway, and became even more popular through its 1992 film adaptation. Set in an office in Chicago, four real estate agents cheat, fight and steal all in an attempt to one-up each other and come out on top. With secrets, lies, double-crossing, deals and dangerous ambition all at play, who, if any of them, will end up winning?

David Mamet’s writing has made Glengarry Glen Ross a classic that has been so adored by many for more than forty years now. Perhaps it is the weight of expectation that causes the first stumbling block in this production. The decision to switch the genders to make this an all-female play is a bold one, and a choice that makes this a production like no other that has gone before it. The problem is that it all feels a bit redundant. There is an argument to be made that these macho characters display such toxic masculinity that putting women in their shoes can allow for this to be looked at in a different light and really question their motives and masculinity. The problem is… it just doesn’t work.

I am all for fresh new takes on classics, and the possibility that comes with switching genders. The last West End and Broadway run of Company proved what can be achieved when this is done right, bringing a whole new meaning and moments of nuance to the leading character of Bobby/Bobbie. Glengarry Glen Ross struggles to find this level of intelligence, instead reducing itself to people playing dress up. Outfits displaying varying degrees of masculinity and femininity lead to a slightly androgynous feel, but nothing else seems to have been changed. I longed to suspend my disbelief, but I struggled to see what purpose this creative choice served, reducing it all to nothing more than a gimmick.

That is especially frustrating given the calibre of the people involved in this production. Patrick Marber has proven himself to be a wonderful director time and time again, with his recent work on the West End revival of The Producers nothing short of extraordinary. His vision struggles to come to life here with characters transformed into caricatures, delivering exaggerated versions of themselves. Though there are a few moments to be found that raised a smile on my face, its 85-minute run time seems to drag, particularly in the slow first half that plodded along and failed to engage me as I hoped. In situations like this, I like to look around at the audience to see other people’s reactions - I saw one woman literally on the edge of her seat, transfixed at what she was seeing, while the man next to her struggled to hide clear boredom on his face. Of course, theatre is subjective, and this production is a perfect example of that.

What I have loved about the Old Vic this season is how it has reconfigured its space to be completely in-the-round. This has created more intimacy than has ever been seen there, allowing for walls to break down between cast and audience, and a stronger connection than you would usually experience. With that in mind, Glengarry Glen Ross feels like a baffling choice for this configuration. There is no intimacy to be found in this production, just exaggerated versions of situations that left me feeling as if I were intruding more than anything else. Had this been in the Old Vic’s usual configuration, I dare say the result would have been better, but in a season which has played to the theatre’s strengths with each production making full use of this new configuration, Glengarry Glen Ross squanders this opportunity, feeling as if it has been planted on the stage without much thought about how best to use this space.

If this production has one thing going for it, it's an outstanding cast, though they often suffer at the hands of the choices they have been given, opting for larger-than-life, comedic performances in lieu of the necessary humanity. Rosa Salazar is a captivating force as Roma, doing her best to find the right balance between the overblown direction and her own take on the character. When she gets it right, it is gold, but at other times she becomes lost in the characterisation, though at her best she is among the best aspects of the production.

The always wonderful Indira Varma showcases a new side to herself with her take on Levene. A truly gifted actress, she, too, makes the best of the cards she has been dealt, but falls just short of her usual standard due to the limitations this production offers her. Dorothea Myer-Bennett is perhaps the most consistent as Williamson, offering a more straight-laced approach that feels refreshing in some of the more overblown characterisations found elsewhere. It is in the scenes Varma and Myer-Bennett share together where this production shows its promise for something more, with electric chemistry that fizzles out too quickly in search of the next moment.

Glengarry Glen Ross is quite clearly a classic, and this production is daring in its approach to try something new. It is probably down to how high-profile it all is that it falls as flat as it does, with the sense that it would have been less noticeable elsewhere. It is a fitting example of what happens when a production doesn’t play to its strengths, and this configuration does absolutely nothing for the story, with potential and possibility rarely met. Exaggerated characters and poor pacing lead to a rare misstep for the Old Vic, made all the more disappointing given what a knockout this production ought to have been if it hadn’t fallen through.

Glengarry Glen Ross plays at the Old Vic until 18th July. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/glengarry-glen-ross-tickets

Photos by Manuel Harlan