Glengarry Glen Ross, a play by David Mamet and winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize, tells the story of corruption lies and greed. A team of schmoozing, hard selling estate agents compete in a fierce office environment to top the sales leaders board.
Each are willing to sell their soul to ensure they close the deal and win the top prize even if it means they have to trample over each other in the process.
The 1980s production has been revamped for its latest UK tour directed by Sam Yates and features a star studded cast.
Roma played by Nigel Harman, of Eastenders fame, channels the cocky arrogance and sales patter of the firms top performer.
Joining him on stage is theatre veteran Mark Benton who plays a down on his luck salesman, desperate for the right break to return to glory. He delivers the role with great humour and emotion.
Scott Sparrow deserves credit for his portrayal of the straight laced office manager, often subject to lengthy rants and verbal abuse from his pressured colleagues.
All of the actors work well together to deliver impressive performances however the slow, word heavy plot of the script often fails to make an impressive or long lasting impact on its modern day audience.
The play consists of two exquisitely detailed sets with a single scene in each act – a Chinese restaurant in the 35 minute long first act where we are introduced to each protagonist and their current predicament.
The second act is set in the post robbery staff office and builds the drama as the pressure mounts to close the most sales and solve the mystery of the robbery.
The attention to detail in the set design by Chiara Stephenson ensures it is visually impressive and one of the highlights of the production.
However, the lack of variations in scenes and settings can mean it doesn’t have the same drama and fast paced action of other theatre productions.
The plot loses momentum in lengthy monalogues lacking in enough punch to grip the audience especially in the first act.
The less than perfect American accents and at times quite dense dialogue leaves parts of the play washing over the vast auditorium.
A solid delivery from a talented cast but may fail to close the deal with some theatre goers.