Glengarry Gone Wrong

Glengarry Glen Ross is the classic play about cutthroat Chicago real estate agents who are willing to do whatever it takes to close the deal, whether it be legal or not. 

The bar was set high with Christian Slaters name on everyone's lips, and my expectations were eager to be met… unfortunately they weren't.

The play starts in a Chinese restaurant, with three short scenes that introduce us to the characters; Richard Roma (Christian Slater), John Williamson (Kris Marshall), Dave Moss (Robert Glenister), Shelley Levene (Stanley Townsend), and George Aaronow (Don Warrington). The first act is fast-paced and hard to follow, the only plot I was able to catch was Moss asking his colleague, Aaronow, to perform a robbery on the office and steal the leads. The curtain falls, and the lights flood the theatre, the audience's staggered movement said it all… was that it?

If the first act didn't drain your energy, the interval certainly will - it sounded like a building site, bangs ricocheted off the walls which left one wondering if they remembered the audience is still here? The second act opened with a trashed set which thankfully explained the noise, but due to the first act and disruptive interval, a lot had to be done in order to bring my spirits back. There were moments where my attention was fully theirs, but it would quickly slip away due to the unconvincing acting of Kris Marshall. It wasn't all bad, Shelley Levene, played by Stanley Townsend, was able to capture every aspect of a man's desperation and in my eyes, stole the show. Nicknamed "Levene the Machine", he was certainly the fuel this production needed.

For someone whose name was the reason most of the seats were filled, Christian Slater didn't pull it out the bag for me. I was expecting a lot more; a smug face and attitude made it feel like he was the type of guy where, if you'd been to the moon - he'd been to the sun. There is one moment where Slater is bellowing at Marshall and you feel like it's finally getting somewhere, only for Marshall's acting to undo all Slater's work and make it cringe-worthy.

The play turns more into a fight for dominance, the characters each wanting to be top-dog, and once again I'm lost. That was until the play reached its conclusion, and the identity of the robber was revealed, and as he goes into the little room at the back of the office (which may I add with every slam of the door shook the set), the curtain falls and that's it… the actors come out for curtain call and I can't help but slow clap. I scan the room and the audience seem as confused as I do - apart from the women wearing Christian Slater t-shirts.

My advice would be to do some research beforehand and try and get an understanding of this industry - I was thrown in the deep end and felt like a duck treading water, struggling to keep up! If there was more of a foundation in act one, then there may have been something to go off in act two.

Even though this play wasn't for me, don't let this deter you from experiencing it. I have to give them leeway due to it being previews, and since opening Glengarry has received great reviews from critics so it seems they may worked the issues out -part of me is tempted to go back and find out for myself!

View our show pages for more information about Glengarry Glen Ross, Playhouse Theatre.