If you didn't get a chance to see Generic's production of American Buffalo last week then you missed out on a pretty great production of a Mamet show. One of the reasons I've always loved American Buffalo is because I just can't figure out what it's about - in a good way. I'm happy to say that is still the case. The show follows three men in a theft-based-quasi-pawn-shop. They plan a heist that they never follow through with and argue with each other the whole way through. If I were to pin down why I like it, and what it is about in one way it would be this: American Buffalo falls into alignment with my tastes because it is humanizing.
Company Presentation:
Interesting choice of poster on the part of Generic. It's simple, and I suppose elegant - but it isn't really the attention grabber it could be. Especially considering the intense, attention grabbing nature of the show. Generic's posters are usually a little better than this one. It comes off sort of like a rusted nickel. Get it? That was a joke about the show.
The only about getting into the downstage I didn't like is something a few companies have made us do - we had to enter through the set. Now, I understand you have to be sort of innovative in the downstage. But, I just don't like walking through the stage to get to my seat - it makes me strangely queasy and leads to things like Bekah Meyer breaking the only door on the stage. (Did you seriously think I wouldn't put that in here after you told me about it, Bekah? You know better than that.)
Set:
The set was pretty basic. One wall of flats, and a whole bunch of junk. Yet, there was something really endearing about it. With the amount of junk, knick-knacks, the poker table, and the beaten up arm chair, I had no trouble believing these guys spent A LOT of their lives in the shop. My favorite touch, however, was the addition of the old Downstage light board with a sign reading "Works perfectly guaranteed!". The actors seemed comfortable on the stage and it worked. Nothing fancy, nothing over the top, just simplistic quality.
Lights:
Again, a fairly basic design executed well. For a show that really only calls for general wash, one might even call the lighting impressive. It is rare that we see a designer able to completely eliminate shadow in the downstage. Peter Guren, kudos to you man.
Acting:
Three men take the stage for Generic. All of them fit their roles perfectly. Michael Salgarolo once again proves himself as the best male actor Generic has in their pocket, with David Neiman pulling up a close second. Preston Reynolds was a relative unknown for me, but even he pulled it in and was the perfect completion to the trio. Each person added their own quirks to the characters with Preston, perhaps, creating the quirkiest of the three. His Bob was quiet, timid, awkward, and lovingly incomprehensible.
My favorite parts of the show were when watching the play between Michael and David. The two of them seemed to really bond on stage and it became clear that their characters had a very long friendship. What impressed me most, and what I still can't quite understand, is how these two managed to create characters so similar in their frustrations and anger, yet clearly distinct from one another.
The big bang moment for the cast, however, was when Teach threw a nutter and trashed the whole set. Reactions were perfect, the destruction was complete, and it all came as a complete surprise.
Directing:
With Carson Miller coming off his success with A Clockwork Orange last year, this show had additional meaning. It meant that Carson had a chance to prove whether he was actually a good director, or if Ben Wagner was really just that good. In my honest opinion, Carson came off the winner. His production was naturalistically directed without too much heavy handed blocking. It seemed that he gave the actors quite a bit of freedom in making their own decisions while providing the guiding hand that a director is meant to be.
American Buffalo was definitely one of the better productions Generic has put together in quite a while. Though I may have a bias in that I love Mamet, I feel that Generic pulled this one off in a brilliant manner. Next week check back for a review of FPP's Urinetown and (with fingers crossed because my schedule is stupidly busy) GW Shakespeare's Sir Thomas More. Go see some shows folks. ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!
(Zach said he was going to put scorpions in my bed for not using this as my profile picture. I post it here in an attempt to appease him.)
See you in the theater,
Ed
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