Glengarry Glenn Ross at @TheArtsClub

I will admit that out of all The Arts Club’s productions this 2010, the one I had been looking forward with the most anticipation had been Glengarry Glenn Ross. Not only do I know their productions are excellent, but I knew two TV renowned actors were participating in it (Eric McCormack of Will and Grace fame and John Pyper-Ferguson of Brothers and Sisters fame).

The cast, ALL of it, was amazing – Bart Anderson, John Pyper Ferguson, Vincent Gale, Daren Herbert, Eric McCormack, Brian Markinson, Gerard Plunkett, under the director of Michael Shamata.

The premise of Glengarry Glenn Ross is as follows:

Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 independent dramatic film, adapted by David Mamet from his acclaimed 1984 Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play of the same name. The film depicts two days in the lives of four real estate salesmen and how they become desperate when the corporate office sends a representative to “motivate” them by announcing that, in one week, all except the top two salesmen will be fired. The film, like the play, is notorious for its use of profanity.[Wikipedia Entry for GGR

Opening night was last night (July 28th, 2010) and I was there with my good friend Chris Walts, who kindly was my Plus One for the evening, and of course many of the local TV and media personalities (Catherine Barr, Dawn Chubai and Fiona Forbes, amongst others). I also had a chance to chat with Fanny Kiefer (of Studio 4) and saw Jason Priestley briefly (our Vancouver boy apparently likes his theatre too!).

I will admit that I was entirely surprised by the fast pace of this play. Particularly as JT had seen it the previous Saturday and he told me that he felt the first half was extremely slow. Wow, I felt it went by like lightning! The interesting thing is, despite the high billing of McCormack and Pyper-Ferguson, I will admit that EVERYONE in the cast delivered an amazing performance.

It was noticeable that McCormack wanted everyone in the cast to have the same billing, so he went to great lengths to ensure everyone in the cast was highlighted equally. For me, the play really highlighted how much people in North America value their work and put so much of their self-worth into their work. And the play also reminded me how lucky I am to not have a traditional 9-5 job.

Glengarry Glenn Ross has a LOT of foul language (the F word must have been used about 412 times, seriously). But overall, it’s a great production. More than anything, it’s a great tell-tale of all the things that can go wrong when you put extreme emphasis and the bulk of your self-worth into yoru work life. You should watch this play, for sure. You can still get tickets until August 21st (click here).

Disclosure: The tickets to attend the play for me and my guest were sponsored very generously by The Arts Club. While I did not pay to attend the show, I would gladly pay to attend, as it is a great production. This post hasn’t been paid for either. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times, and producers and publicists are well aware of this. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.

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