American Buffalo / Magic at the Metropolitan Room

 
 
It would be luck, a happy coincidence. A mimi Mamet festival graces Broadway with ”American Buffalo” joining “Speed-the-Plow,” two tour de forces of language --with attitude. I have already told you about the “Plow” revival featuring Jeremy Piven, Raul Esparza and Elisabeth Moss., but now John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer, and Haley Joel Osment (the Oscar nominated kid from “Sixth Sense” grown up-almost) fire up the Belasco in another Mamet ménage a trois. The mood is set even before the actors appear, when the announcer says, “the cast and David Mamet request that you shut off your fucking cell phones.” “Fucking” in a Mamet play is not simply fucking, but a significant signifier, a punctuation. With these excellent actors all playing wannabe con artists, the f word is a manipulation, the perfect metaphor for theater itself. Converging on Santo Loquasto's magnificently detailed junk shop set, this unholy trinity plots the theft of a rare coin collection. Cedric's performance is especially affecting as the pivotal Donny; at center of the scam he has to keep the menacing Teach (Leguizamo) and child-like Bobby (Osment) in line. Needless to say, their bluster masks their weak egos, and worse, their low expectations of life itself. Unfortunately, as if life follows art, the play may end its run this weekend. See it while you can.

 

And if you want coins, there are coins aplenty -disappearing and re-emerging in odd places in Eric DeCamps' magic show at the Metropolitan Room on Sunday at 4.  Coin tricks are just the warm up for other illusions: transmigration, calling of the cards, and Houdini's challenge from this magician's magician.

Regina Weinreich

Graphic Design: Salpeter Ventura