I had never seen a Mamet play before this one, and, because I had loved the script to "The Anarchist", which most people had hated, I thought I would give this one a try. I disliked this play when I saw it, people drifting in and out - some actually sleeping. However, I recently bought the published script and read it, and I have to say - the play isn't really bad. Actually, on the page, the play reads very well: the plot makes sense, the characters are intriguing, ect. Mamet does shoulder some of the blame (not really changing anything during previews), but a bulk of it lies on Pachino, whose awful delivery kills Mamet's rhythms and makes the plot nonsensical. Maybe if he could actually remember his lines, people wouldn't have torn it apart.
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Updated On: 12/23/15 at 06:48 PM