American Buffalo by David Mamet
Business is business. Friends are friends. If nothing else, that becomes overwhelmingly clear during Theatre Exile’s performance of American Buffalo by David Mamet, directed by Matt Pfeiffer . Don (Joe Canuso) owns an antique shop, if you want to call it that. Old glasses spread across tables, milk crates full of who knows what and piles of National Geographic tied up in twine lay on the floor – most everything in the store is junk. Everything, expect maybe that buffalo head nickel he sold last week. With being ripped off in the back of his mind, Don wants that nickel back and, almost unfortunately, enlists friends to help him.
And as Teach (Pete Pryor) mentions over and over again, don’t mix business with friendship. He doesn’t necessarily stick to this rule, but all the same, he brings it up several times. Don, a caring and sympathetic guy, has taken Bob (Robert DaPonte), under his wing. Questionably an addict, Bob does anything Don tells him. This father-son relationship between the two is obvious and well portrayed by both actors. With that said, Don mixes friendship with business, creating a downward spiral involving all three men.
Photo by Cory Frisco.
Joe Canuso and Pete Pryor give fabulous performances, both doing justice to the intense and often difficult language of Mamet. Robert DaPonte gives a commendable performance, one that shows his versatility as an actor in comparison to past roles.
In addition to the elaborate and almost overwhelming set, the subtle use of lighting within the show was phenomenal. Everything that was on stage was, obviously, very skillfully placed and created the right balance of comfort the audience expects from an antiques show with the fear and eeriness we feel later on in the shop.
Overall, a good performance of an American classic. Theatre Exile’s dedication to dark, rebellious theatre stands out with this portrayal of American Buffalo.
Theatre Exile presents American Buffalo written by David Mamet and directed by Matt Pfeiffer, April 9 – May 3, 2009 at Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Street. Tickets $15-$40. 215-218-4022, www.theatreexile.org.
