Speed-the-Plow
Tickets and Information
SHOW INFORMATION
CURRENTLY CLOSED
Opened Oct 23, 2008
Closed Feb 22, 2009
Opened Oct 23, 2008
Closed Feb 22, 2009
Directions & Map
Running Time:
1hr. 30min.
1hr. 30min.
Visit the Speed-the-Plow website:
http://www.speedtheplowonbroadway.com
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WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
William H. Macy, Raul Esparza, and Elisabeth Moss star in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. Neil Pepe directs.
In the play, Hollywood producers Bobby Gould and Charlie Fox engage in a verbal boxing match about the eternal debate of art versus money. Should Gould go for another bad blockbuster that will make his fortune or put himself on the line for an adaptation of a spiritual, apocalyptic novel offered to him by his beautiful secretary Karen.
WHAT ARE CRITICS SAYING?
Instances of successful-playwrights-turned-screenwriters-and-filmmakers biting the Hollywood hand that feeds them are a dime a dozen. So, originality isn't a crucial element in
Speed-the-Plow, David Mamet's punch in the Tinseltown nose, which is receiving a more-than-acceptable 20th anniversary revival at the Barrymore Theatre Yet while director Neil Pepe and his cast meet most of the script's demands, the production never quite reaches the same fully explosive possibilities as Matthew Warchus' recent London production, starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum.
What Mamet brings to this frequently-told tale is a theatrical dynamism that throws off so many sparks it looks as if he's produc[...]
Reviewed by
David Finkle on Oct 24, 2008
What are other members saying?
Fantastic performances
Having not seen the production with Jeremy Piven, I can not make a comparison, but I would imagine that the replacement with William H. Macy added a maturity and stark contrast between the two male characters in this play. His years of experience coupled with his age must have added depth not otherwise possible by such a young actor, although another favorite of mine.
But the real star in this production was Raul Esparza whose timing and range allowed for an exemplary performance. My boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed the show and would recommend it before it speeds to a close!
Reviewed by ilissaj1
on Wednesday, Feb 4th, 2009
Speed the Plow with Butz
I bought my ticket 20 minutes before the show.Nowhere was it posted, nor was I informed until I sat down for the play that Jeremy Piven was no longer starring and Butz was and would be reading lines during the play. In all fairness to Butz he did a commendable job, and when he gets his lines memorized i am sure that he will be better. His reading of lines was distracting and ruined the flow for me.Why did I have to pay $116.58 to see a "rehearsal"????? Hello! Why wasnt I informed at the theater box office when i purchased the ticket....and why is there no notice at the theater?
When i complained to a theater attendee, I was dismissed and told "Well we assumed everyone would know since Jeremy Piven just walked out on the show and Butz is better anyway." Perhaps but he was READING THE LINES!!!!!!!!!! And sorry that I am not so savy....and the theater was pretty empty... I had almost a whole row to myself...... Seriously tickets should be discounted while the star learns his lines!!!
Reviewed by reg328
on Sunday, Dec 28th, 2008
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recommend, approve and/or guarantee such events, or any facts, views, advice and/or information contained therein.
©1999-2012 TheaterMania.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
If one needs any further convincing that one actor's presence can change the dynamic -- and even meaning -- of a play one already knows, look no further than William H. Macy's performance as Bobby Gould in Neil Pepe's Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, which is finishing up its run at the Barrymore Theatre. Macy's world-weary gravitas adds an entirely new and welcome dimension to Mamet's amorality tale of wheeling-and-dealing in Hollywood -- and the result is now somewhat less funny but ultimately more truthful than any production of the work I've seen before.
Macy -- who founded the Atlantic Theater Company with Mamet -- has returned to the New York stage for the first time [...]