American Buffalo

Nickel Steal

American Buffalo

by David Mamet

Richmond Shakespeare Society at the Mary Wallace Theatre, Twickenham until 21^st September

Review by Salieri

This intriguing, but not wholly satisfactory play, receives an interesting production by RSS, but there are hurdles to overcome, which do not completely satisfy the listener.  Even the second half, which is much more animated than the over-long first half, does not provide a definite conclusion.

The play is set in a junk shop, and the staging here is excellent with a large number of items spread around the set: bit tidy perhaps.  It does limit much movement of the actors, but I think it adds to the play, giving it a claustrophobic atmosphere.  As the play proceeds, we realise that their surroundings weigh heavily upon the three characters, affecting their thoughts and their actions, which never really happen as they try to make plans. 

There is a cast of three: a considerable amount of bad language is frequent and it does take time to adapt to the American style and accents, which sound a little “stagey” at times, but by and large are generally acceptable.

The trio is not a logical one.  Donny (Eric Petrossian) is phlegmatic and not over-inspiring, but deep down he is a person with whom we can sympathise as he has a heart, and is occasionally capable of some outbursts of temper caused by frustration.  Eric deals well with the character, but I have to say that sometimes he speaks so quietly that he becomes inaudible.  Bobby (William Hunter) is the novice, out of his depth, naïve, and a somewhat pathetic individual.  It is a lovely and well thought-out portrayal, but sadly I have to say that his diction is again sometimes inaudible and we miss more lines than we should.  Teach (Hugh Cox) does not have that problem: he is the “Big Man” who dominates and elements of the “know it all” come out.  However as the play proceeds, we find there are a number of weaknesses in the character.  “Words, words, words (as Hamlet says)”, and we come to realise that a lot of Teach is merely bluster rather than action, which he is too much at pains to explain and justify.

Indeed much of the first act is spent in banter and philosophising between the three and it is only later on in the act that we find out exactly what their aim is: to gain possession of the rest of a hoard of coins, since they merely have one valuable nickel.  By this time the platitudes are becoming irritating, and we are not sure where we are going, and what is going to happen next.  Well, in the second act, all starts to become clearer and the play livens up considerably.  Their decision is to carry out a midnight raid (surprise, surprise!) on the premises where they know that there are many more such coins.  They recruit a colleague, Fletcher, whom we never see.   Now the play and its characters should really achieve our interest and the pace should quicken.  Of course, they never really do anything, and are still too busy with questioning each other, justifying each other, reasoning  – it can be summed by Teach “I don’t know why, you don’t know why, but we are both better off”.

Entertaining and even moving as a lot of the second act is, as far as the play itself is concerned it leaves us with a feeling of being inside an exercise of futility.  Director, Fiona Smith’s production is a strong one, with a fine pace, which occasionally leads to short periods of silence: that, in fact, is good – we must occasionally breathe, so to speak.  The actual ending is virtually complete collapse: Fletcher is in hospital, the raid has not happened.  Teach has assaulted and injured Bobby and they still only have the one nickel.  Satis quod sufficit.

Salieri, September 2024

Photography by Richard Morgan