Production Sponsors
SPEED-THE-PLOW
DAVID MAMET
ON STAGE JULY 5
David Mamet's savage insight into the morals (or lack thereof) involved with producing Hollywood blockbusters sees two executives gamble their integrity for profit, only to be complicated by a surprise dissenting perspective. In Mamet's hands, quaint notions of loyalty, integrity, and straight talk become mere pawns in this scathing comedy.
Directed by David
Storch
Featuring Ari
Cohen, Jordan
Pettle and Sarah
Wilson
Background Notes
by Soulpepper Associate Artist Toby Malone
For a long period that encompassed the late 1970s through to the
mid-1990s, David Mamet was the premier American playwriting voice
of his generation. Plays including Glengarry Glenn Ross,
American Buffalo, and Oleanna (all previously
produced by Soulpepper) have entered the echelons of American
classics as shrewd eviscerations of the preoccupations of
contemporary capitalist society. Speed-the-Plow, similarly
well-known but less often produced due to its focus on the
Hollywood machine, is another such piece where morals, loyalty, and
integrity are just a few items readily bartered for momentary gain.
The play's initial notoriety came from an avalanche of press that
accompanied the casting of pop singer Madonna in the role of Karen:
derided as 'stunt casting,' the singer received positive reviews
and brought increased interest in the work. The central figure of
Bobby Gould, a selfish, ruthless movie executive, is a typically
Mametian male, fickle, driven, and prone to selfish
short-sightedness. Gould's behaviour as he juggles the priorities
of his partner Charlie Fox and his secretary Karen is what is on
trial here: the audience is invited to watch his machinations as
his priorities shift and evolve based on what is most convenient or
exciting at that moment. By play's end, it is easy to understand
why Mamet followed up with a sequel named Bobby Gould in
Hell.
Much like the title of
Mamet's Oleanna
refers to an obscure
paradise where men rest and women work, Speed-the-Plow
features a title which is a mental challenge in itself. A
traditional term used to wish a healthy harvest, 'speed-the-plow'
has served as allegorical impetus to works as varied as poetry,
handcrafts, and music, and, in Mamet's case, refers to the hard
work involved with turning over dirt and uncovering that which lies
beneath: in Gould's case, a glimpse at a lesser-travelled road, one
that he may not be comfortable approaching. Soulpepper is thrilled
to reunite director David Storch with David Mamet following his
stunning success with Glengarry Glenn Ross.