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The Rice Thresher
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Dalton Tomlin thresher editorial staff
Lovett College chose to produce Mamet's not-so-good American Buffalo, but they do an impressive job with it nevertheless. Buffalo and Glengarry are similar in their dramatic tones, the intimate settings and especially creative usages of colorful language, Mamet's trademark. Most importantly, they both deal with characters' desires to achieve the American dream through successful careers, often with disappointing results. American Buffalo takes place in a junk shop in a major city - probably Chicago, Mamet's hometown. Most of the shop's business comes from fencing stolen goods. It's run by Don (Lovett senior Brad Demarest), an aging career criminal who's generally kind and trusting. Two of his associates are Teach (Lovett Resident Associate and German and Slavic Studies Lecturer Rick Spuler), a seasoned but jittery veteran of the trade, and Bob (Lovett sophomore Tariq Tapa), a quiet kid with uncertain loyalties. The opening conversation, between Don and Bob, is concerned with the previous night's poker game. It doesn't immediately affect the plot, but it's a good introduction to the way Mamet plays with language and interaction of dialogue. Soon, the conversation drifts to a valuable buffalo nickel that Don had sold to a very interested customer. Don feels like he was ripped off by a few hundred bucks and decides to rob the customer's house and steal the coin collection presumably held within. The rest of the dialogue-heavy play is mostly focused on prepations for the heist and decisions about who gets to do it. But the underlying issues are really how much the three characters trust each other and what they're willing to do to make some money. For the most part, I was impressed by the actors. The trickiest part of performing anything by Mamet is delivering his dialogue with just the right speed and tone so that it at least sounds genuine. There are many quick cues and interjections that could easily run together and cause confusion. But the cast, by and large, pulls it off, and that alone is a worthy accomplishment. A few years ago, American Buffalo was made into a movie starring Dennis Franz as Don and Dustin Hoffman as Teach, and it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that Lovett's cast aims for their voices and mannerisms. Demarest's Bob has a thick city accent, while Spuler's Teach is nasal and frantic. Demarest is often at the center of things and bears the responsibility pretty well, although some of his lines seem a little forced. Spuler is excellent and rarely misses a beat; even when he's not talking, he's fidgeting with something. Tapa conveys a believable quietness that raises suspicions about his character. I especially appreciated the fact that the characters actually smoke, a prudent decision by directors Shawn Stewart, a Lovett senior, and Linh Thu Do (Lovett '00). The set is appropriate - the office is littered with all sorts of junk, showing how low-level these thugs are. And though it's probably unintentional, the hum of the Lovett air conditioning adds an authentic, industrial sound. But despite the admirable production values, the play's still the thing, and not a great thing at that. While it's well-written, the script isn't nearly as smart or enjoyable as Glengarry Glen Ross. And while it may not be fair to compare it to other Mamet works that some audience members haven't seen, I still feel like they might be disappointed or at least bored with Buffalo. There are a few laughs here and there, but nothing too substantial. You expect the conversation to go one way; more often than not it diverts before resolving itself. It's an entertaining gimmick at first, but even Lovett's production can't keep it from being overwhelming.
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