Prospect’s play has a head for business and bod for singularly questionable ethics

“Glengarry Glen Ross” could easily be subtitled “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying To Be a Good Person.”

The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning David Mamet play delves into the ethically murky waters of the 1980s real estate business. Prospect Theater Project will tackle the work and its gruff, unflinching look at the moral morass of so-called success. The production opens Friday, Feb. 24, and will run through Sunday, March 12, at the downtown Modesto theater company.

Turlock-based actor Michael Hewitt directs the cast of seven local actors. The all-male cast is part of the show’s aesthetic, Hewitt said.

“That brings a certain nuance to the show. At that point in time, the business they were in would have been a male-dominated career. So, in some ways, that’s got to affect the tone of the show,” he said. “It’s a play with an edge that pushes boundaries and makes you ask questions.”

Opened on Broadway in 1984 and turned into a high-profile film in 1992, the play is known for its intricate, often four-letter-word-filled dialogue. Hewitt, who directed the company’s season-opening show, “Picnic,” last fall, said the challenge in staging Mamet is to make sure the cast has a solid handle on the language.

“There is a musicality to his language. It’s real, it’s gritty, it’s honest, it’s rough around the edges,” he said. “It’s kind of a jigsaw puzzle; things said early in the play fit with things later in the play.”

The show’s title comes from the two real estate developments – Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms – the salesmen talk about as prime sales of the future and past. The five men in the office include ruthless sales shark Richard “Ricky” Roma (Nick Zagone) and his more idealistic co-worker Shelly “The Machine” Levene (Jack Souza).

Rounding out the cast are James Kusy as office manager John Williamson, with Tom Solomon as Dave Moss and Carl Bengston as George Aronow, the other real estate agents. Gary Thomas plays client James Lingk and David Ackerman plays police officer Baylen.

Hewitt said the show’s intimate setting, an open, 160-seat space, puts the audience right into the story. While the show was penned in the high-power 1980s, the piece remains topical for its questions about how far people will go to survive and succeed in business.

“I think we are going through some times of uncertainty, too, right now. People might not be sure where things are headed,” he said. “What do we do in those times when things are less secure and we feel less stable than we did previously. I think a lot of that is going to play well now.”

For the final Sunday matinee show March 12, the cast and crew will participate in a talk-back session with the audience.

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Prospect’s play has a head for business and bod for singularly questionable ethics."