'American Buffalo': Actors highlight of revival

‘AMERICAN BUFFALO’: Sam Rockwell & Laurence Fishburne. Photo: Richard Termine.

AMERICAN BUFFALO
Written by David Mamet
Directed by Neil Pepe
Through July 10, 2022
Circle in the Square
235 West 50th St.
New York, NY
212-239-6202, wwwAmericanBuffaloNYC.com

By David NouNou

It’s hard to review a David Mamet play these days without including his heinous quotes recently on Fox News: “Teachers are abusing children mentally and using sex to do so,” further alleging “Teachers are inclined, particularly men, because men are predators to pedophilia.” It’s amazing he can make quotes like these when most of his plays are full of overt sexism and toxic masculinity driving the narrative. What I find most amazing in today’s culture is the double standard for women. With all the expletives that are used in this play, especially the misogynist name calling of women with the use of the “c” word and the women that are talked about by one character as “lesbian dykes,” some people who find the text most amusing are women. When you are seated at Circle in the Square Theatre, you not only get to hear audience reaction, you also get to see audience reaction. As written and spoken by Mamet, it is acceptable and humorous, but if spoken by the average person on the street, it is offensive, demeaning and contemptible to women.

The action takes place in a junk shop on a Friday morning and later that night around eleven o’clock. In Act I, Donny (Laurence Fishburne), owner of the junk shop and a father figure to the slow-witted Bobby (Darren Criss)— who has made a mistake and apologizes for it—wants Bobby to learn from his mistake. They’re also discussing on how to go about doing “the thing.” In comes Teach (Sam Rockwell), a repugnant conman loser if ever there was one. He is sexist, racist and has total disdain for humanity.

Turns out “the thing” is a robbery to take place later that night. A buyer has come to the shop a couple of days earlier and bought a buffalo nickel for $90. He has given his number to Donny to call him if he should come across some more. Donny now feels he has been cheated and should have gotten more for that nickel Bobby later informs Donny that the buyer has left town with his girlfriend and a suitcase in a car that morning for the weekend and his place will be empty. Upon hearing of this job, Teach wants a piece of the action and wants Bobby out for being slow and unreliable for such a job. The meeting is set for 10:30pm that night with Donny, Teach and a third party named Fletch to break in to the buyer’s home and take back the coin and more if there are any.

Act II begins with Teach being late, and Fletch nowhere to be found. Only Bobby shows up with a lot on his mind. No spoiler alert here, but violence does ensue. This unraveling is what keeps the audience’s attention.

The redeeming grace of the evening is the solid work of the three actors, each giving stellar performances. As loathsome as Sam Rockwell’s character Teach is, his performance is as powerful as it is menacing. Having seen the original Teach, Robert Duvall in 1977, Al Pacino in 1983 and John Leguizamo in the disastrous 2008 revival (which only lasted for 20 previews and eight regular performances), Mr. Rockwell’s performance is by far the most nuanced and pulsating with seediness and rage.

Laurence Fishburne gives an equally stunning and riveting performance; the beauty here is the strength in his character as well as his protective feelings toward Bobby.

Darren Criss as Bobby is of course the least showy character in the play. However, Mr. Criss delves into Bobby to make him more than the simple character he is. There is a genuine desire to please his mentor, thus imbuing his character with humanity.

There are two more notable assets to the play. First, Scott Pask has created the best junk shop set devised for this play. It is a work of art. Second is the pulsating direction by Neil Pepe, for even in a moment of stillness, there is constant movement. Whether it is in the dialogue or the actors, something is always moving.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 22, 2022
Reviewed at April 21, 2022 press performance.