Despite an unforeseen emergency, last week’s run of David Mamhet’s award-winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross, was a success.
According to both the cast and attendees, the production met, and in some cases exceeded, expectations in terms of the performances, the attendance, and even the reception of the play’s social commentary on the coldness of a purely competitive atmosphere in a community of men.
“The cast and crew did a fantastic job,” senior Kyle Cassidy said, who played Shelley Levene. “I felt very positive about everyone's performance, and I've heard nothing but positive comments from those who attended. [The attendance] blew my expectations away, really. I think we packed the house at least two of the nights. That we got a half- house on a snowy Thursday was a real morale boost.”
Glengarry Glen Ross opened Wednesday, February 20, 2008 and ran through Saturday, February 23, 2008. The four performances were held in the downstairs Experimental Theatre. According to Administrative Assistant Eileen Bowen, who manages the Box Office, the theatre was set up with 116 chairs for each performance. With the exception of Thursday, each show filled the theatre. The production’s tally for attendance approached 400 people.
The actors were confident with their performances and could not help but to gauge audiences’ reactions to certain parts of the play.
“The play was great from start to finish,” said Assistant Director and Dramaturge Nelson Barre ‘08. “The audiences we had responded well and helped energize the production. It's sometimes difficult to gauge an audience, but even when some would laugh where others wouldn't, the actors didn't miss a beat.”
Although his two off-stage roles were enough to keep him busy, Mr. Barre found himself adding another a few more hours into the production than originally planned before Friday night’s performance. Sophomore Patrick McAlister developed appendicitis Friday afternoon. In response, Mr. Barre quickly stepped in, assuming the character of Baylen, the police officer.
“He didn't have a major role, but it was important,” Mr. Barre said. “And I had five hours to get it right. That was exciting if nothing else. It was a lot of fun to be back on stage acting though.”
Director James Cherry thought Barre’s performances Friday and Saturday were heroic under the circumstances.
“Nelson Barre, assistant director and dramaturge, steps in on [short] notice, memorizes Patrick's lines and blocking, and goes onstage without a script,” Cherry said. “If Chuck Norris were an actor, he'd be Nelson Barre.”
Even with the last-minute change in cast, students enjoyed the play. Freshman Joel Bustamante responded positively to the acting, the stage, and overall message.
“I thought the acting was really well done,” Bustamante said. “The stage was epic, and the overall production was simply amazing. I think that it was a very good representation of what the pressures of the business world can drive people to do. Granted, it was slightly exaggerated, but it has to be that way to fit in the two hour time slot. The play is still just as relevant today [as it was in the 1980s]; just look at Enron and such. There's always someone just trying to get on top and beat the system.”
Sophomore Miguel Aguilar enjoyed the play as well, but he also his own narrative analysis.
“The best scene would probably have to be between Matt Goodrich and James Morey,” Aguilar said. “I’ve seen many plays here at Wabash, and typically when the audience laughs, the actors laugh along with them. But James Morey kept a straight face. Matt did a good job at representing a drunken desperate salesman while James looked and acted like a timid and self-conscious person. James wearing a sweater and a vest really meshed well with the character he was portraying. I think this was probably the most important scene of the play because it shows how salesmen struggle to earn a living in society. As soon as their scene ended, I kept waiting to see the end of their business sale.”