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A local production of David Mamet’s Speed The Plow tackles the proverbial chasm between art and commercial gain

SECONDS after walking into Pentas 2 and taking my seat, I already knew I was going to like Speed The Plow. Apart from the refreshing and simply delightful menu of 50s music playing in the background, the set that greeted the audience was remarkable — realistic and detailed; it was in complete defiance of the bare and Spartan styles favoured by a lot of contemporary theatre these days.

Written by American playwright David Mamet, Speed the Plow’s plot follows two movie executives as they discover that a famous Hollywood star may be willing to headline their new project, despite usually being attached to a rival studio. Flushed with the glow of looming success, Bobby Gould (who has just been promoted) and Charlie Fox make a bet over which one of them will score with the attractive new temporary secretary who has begun working in the office. However, it turns out that the young woman in question, Karen, has her own idealistic views of what works in Hollywood, not to mention a determination and willingness to do whatever it takes to get her own way.

As I was early, I had a chance to absorb some of the more minute details of the set — an Oscar statue taking pride of place in one corner, furniture covered with a plastic covering to protect it from the dust from new renovations, movie posters on the floor waiting to be framed. I couldn’t be completely sure from where I was sitting, but it did look like the framed photograph on a side table was of the Dalai Lama and Gavin Yap, who plays Bob — something that reaffirmed the newly promoted producer’s brash personality.

The overall effect is of a gritty movie producer’s office in the 1960s, in a time when men could smoke cigarettes indoors and women wore pretty clothes and answered phones. The play was written in 1988, when the subject of women’s rights and representation was still blurry, which reflects the way Mamet addresses the subject as well — I can’t be sure if the misogyny expressed by the characters is meant to criticise misogyny itself or is a direct reflection of the author’s own issues with women.

Speed The Plow begins with Bob striding on stage, delivering an opening soliloquy that is a reminder of what a good actor he is and how well he throws himself into a role — he is a glib, overly confident, slightly sleazy and terribly intense movie producer. Charlie, played by comedian and actor Douglas Lim, is jumpy, nervous, more effusive and slightly less refined than his friend Bobby.

Within minutes, the intensity of the play and the incredible chemistry between Yap and Lim becomes evident. Although Yap is the much stronger actor, Lim gets increasingly into the role as the play progresses and does a wonderful job of making Charlie’s character extremely likable — you can’t help but warm to his passionate intensity and ability to see through Karen’s pretensions.

Amelia Henderson does a remarkable job of playing Karen, and the build-up from ditzy secretary to smart and sassy manipulating femme fatale was a joy to watch. As she is handed a book that Bobby says is a courtesy read and will never make a good movie, she later comes to his home and presents a compelling argument why he should reject the offer already on the table for this one, and of course, have her involved somehow. As flawlessly as she delivered her lines, it would have been nice to see a little more chemistry between her and Yap — Karen and Bobby do spend the night, after all and there was very little sexual tension to allude to that fact.

The next day, Bobby and Charlie battle it out as they decide which movie should be the one that will be made. The ensuing duel is hilarious as Bobby waxes lyrical about what he now believes in because of Karen’s influence, and Charlie puts it in context by saying “Hey, I believe in the Yellow Pages, Bob, but I don’t want to film it.”

Mamet’s text needs actors who can make his very musical, percussive dialogue crackle as it should in order to unleash the full, abrasive force required. To that end, Loosley has cast the play brilliantly as the three actors have internalised the text very well and their delivery doesn’t seem rehearsed at all — and that’s quite a remarkable feat.

Speed The Plow is very fast-paced and it can almost be an effort keep abreast of what is going on — whether that’s what Mamet intended or something Loosley crafted is not clear. The actors speak in rapid succession and the storyline moves very quickly, and as a result the ending is not as climactic as I had hoped. However, the play is notably short and when the actors make their final bow, you’re left feeling like you really want a little more.

Mamet meant for Speed The Plow to be a satirical take on the clash between art and commerce in the movie world — do you talk down to the audience or try and enrich them? Do you treat them like ticket-buying minions or like intelligent thinking people? Is money or morality the priority? To that end, the text itself doesn’t address this very well — the stronger message is how easily your decisions can be reversed, and what it sometimes takes to get you back on track.

Watch Speed The Plow not for its aim to discuss the money versus morality argument, as Mamet hasn’t done a very remarkable job in highlighting it. This play is worth a watch for the effort that has gone into its production and the way it has put some truly brilliant acting and directing on stage. Gritty, real and totally in your face.


Speed The Plow is playing till April 15 at Pentas 2, KLPac, Jalan Strachan, KL. Tickets are priced at RM68; call (03) 4047 9000 or visit www.ticketpro.com.my to purchase.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 13, 2015.

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