David Mamet on Bill Maher's REAL TIME: 75% of theater audiences are NYC tourists — Page 2

Damn, guess that serves me right for jumping to his defense earlier. Just saw video of his Fox “teachers” comments…bizarre and sad. No possible way I can defend it..nor would I ever want to try.

Is this true? I don't want to support Mamet financially after these horrid comments and while I want to see this revival, I'd skip it because of these comments. I love American Buffalo, having first seen it in London with John Goodman and Damian Lewis.

Well, I have no doubt he would nevertheless gladly accept a Tony should the revival win one.

If you’ve already got American Buffalo tickets, doesn’t appear that Telecharge is allowing any refunds. Has anyone tried yet?

The same time Mamet's politics went extreme right his plays went extreme south. If you put up a graft of the two the lines would follow together.

sinister teashop said: "Mamet knows exactly what he's doing, same thing with DeSantis in Florida, etc. The Republicans are betting a pedo-witchhunt will get them more votes in Nov. and 2024 than a coherent political platform."

This whole thing is watered-down QAnon talking points. It's too implausible to say that there are thousands of pedophiles and abused children that are just hidden in the most public areas of our society, but to say that children could be be groomed by a small group of teachers, when parents already hate teachers?

Let's just hope they don't keep going along with the QAnon ideas.

Let's just hope they don't keep going along with the QAnon ideas."

I'm afraid the Republicans will keep going with the Q stuff because it works. It was working for them even before Trump got into office with the demonization of Hilary Clinton via Pizzagate. When it stops working for them they'll shift to something equally destructive.

Meanwhile I have to ask myself why all these people are continuing to produce Mamets' work aside from money? The author has been using productions of his plays to shout fire in a crowded room for some time now. The solution is to not give him anymore oxygen. Openly challenging him however would be fuel for his fire and give him the platform he craves to expound on cancel culture, etc.

Updated On: 4/12/22 at 12:28 PM

Back to the subject... I mean, people like their entertainment to be entertaining, breaking news?

While I like media that makes you challenge or question, I think people (playwrights) forget sometimes that the primary job of any play is to entertain. It's great if it does both, but if I had to pick one I'd pick entertaining shows that are basically fluff over challenging shows that are boring and miserable.

The root of the word "entertain" means to hold the attention of... that can be through fluff, click-bait or philosophical inquiry. It depends on who you are and what holds your attention. One audience might be fascinated by something that another is bored by.

That's it! **** You David Mamet, *** you.

You used to be a hero to me as a playwright, a total hero, but I will no longer support your work (not that it's been any good for years). I have supported your work since I first fell in love with theatre, even through the recent s**t output you have passed off as plays. I even turned a blind eye to the fact your Trump supporting right wing extremist views go against everything I believe, but enough is enough. Between your recent article, and TV appearances just spouting hate and negativity, even towards Broadway, and now THIS ABOUT TEACHERS, all whist 'promoting' a revival of one of your decent plays on BROADWAY.

You are scum sucking trash who now exists only to spout venom. You no longer add anything to the world that I have any interest in hearing. You are a bitter out of touch bigot who has **** over his own legacy.

I'm so upset, heroes always disappoint.

From a longtime fan.

Dan6 said: "As the son of a devoted and beloved career teacher, I'll now be skipping the American Buffalo revival, thank you very much."

How can the child of an educator make such a dumb comment or have so little ability to analyze a work apart from the artist? This is an embarrassingly sophomoric take.

Going to AB will not in any way harm any teacher. It won't even make Mamet money, but that hardly matters--he should make money for a quality work of art, whether he holds opinions on other subjects you or I radically disagree with or not (college prof of over 13 years standing, here, btw).

You're basically doing the same thing conservatives do when they won't allow their children to be taught by "liberals" or LGBT persons, or want both driven out of the profession--mixing up a person's ability to do their work and provide a quality experience with a judgement of their personal opinions/private life.

If AB--or any Mamet work--espoused a belief you don't support, I'd understand and support your unwillingness to attend a production. But you're saying you won't deign to watch what you otherwise would have been eager to see because of an unrelated personal opinion. This sort of politicization of art and artists is exactly what most liberals have fought against forever. And now here are liberals taking up the tactics of Bible belt Republicans. God.