American Buffalo
Produced and Presented by Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects
Review written by: S. James Wegg
Review: "A Nickel for your Thoughts"
FOUR AND A HALF stars (out of FIVE)
Kelly Daniels’ vision of three down-near-out men trying to steal, cheat and lie their idea of a decent living is a theatrical gem. Known already for her gritty choices and presentation of the human-experience unlocked (cross-references below), David Mamet’s American Buffalo seems as fresh and relevant today as at its première more than three decades ago and the next logical step in the development of Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects.
The single-set drama (“a junkshop”—marvellously detailed by Matt Flawn where only the feeling of newness and a pristine ashtray on the card table betray the grime and dust that permeate the desperate circumstances) is rife with metaphor on many planes and types. Not the least of which are the characters who, like the goods around them, have been abandoned by the mainstream and regularly offered for a song just to survive another day of disillusionment.
The actors are superb. Brian Paul as proprietor Don excels as the gentle referee between his wayward ward, Bobby (Jason Cadieux) and hot-headed partner in crime, Teach (Ric Reid). In many ways, this role is the toughest because it lacks the sharper action/outward-characterization of the memory-addled youth and his cash-strapped tormentor. Paul wisely lets his own inner torment simmer, becoming the voice of reason even as the latest get-rich-quick plan collapses around him. Due to that subtle delivery, the final page cuts deeper than ever.
Cadieux renders Bobby with just the right mix of impish naïveté and unrepentant double crosses that combine to—momentarily—make his brutal comeuppance seem deserved before the reality of his pitiful existence is recalled. Like disenfranchised youth everywhere, his road ahead seems unbearably bleak.
Teach: Then let’s make this clear: Loyalty does not mean shit in a situation like this; I don’t know what you and them are up to, and I do not care, but only you come clean with us. (Italics are Mamet’s)
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