Take four Willy Lomans who are still young enough to be aggressive and effective as con men, pit them against one another for their dignity and economic survival, and throw in a lot of dark and expletive-laden dialogue and you have the setting for David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, a scathing attack on the inhuman environment of the corporate capitalist world. The play focuses on the goings on of four cut-throat real estate salesmen who compete against each other in a realm where the number of lucrative leads defines manhood and the failure to close a deal can have career-ending consequences. Levene, Aaronow, Moss, and Roma are four real estate salesman whose jockey with one another to be top-dog in the lucrative real estate market. Whether they have to milk the last pennies from a retiree or drain every last cent of discretionary income from middle-class couples, these men have one purpose in life—close a sale. It makes no difference if the plots of land they are selling are knee-deep in duck weed, bull rushes, or a wind blown cactus plantation, the sale is what matters. Unfortunately, it is also what defines their soul and gives meaning to their identities.
Shelley Levine is an on-the-ropes salesman who is fading faster than Willy Loman does in Death of a Salesman, a play that might be considered the precursor to Mamet’s even darker satire of capitalism. Levine is aware of his eroding condition, but he proves his manhood to the others by impressing them with tales of his huge sales from days gone by. In reality, he has little identity without measuring himself through his sales totals and his desperation to make one big score to get “on the board” allows him to be duped into stealing the coveted leads book from the sales office. Like the others who must compete like sharks against one another for the scraps of commissions, Levine is harassed and browbeaten continually by the office manager, Williamson. He changes ...