Unless Public Bison Tix, American Buffalo Will Close TodayFirst came the spate of
bad reviews.
Then
word got out on Friday that either ticket sales had to pick up
immediately or the new Broadway revival of
David Mamet’s
American Buffalo would close today, although the
final announcement won't come until tomorrow.
Playbill reports that Telecharge was only selling tickets for performances through today, and it quotes producer
Ben Sprecher as saying that a "provisional" closing notice was posted November 19:
If the box office doesn't drastically improve, American Buffalo will play its final performance on Sunday... If ticket sales spurt dramatically, I'll be glad to extend the show.
Don't bet any wooden nickels that the latter will occur.
The
Robert Falls-helmed production stars
John Leguizamo,
Cedric the Entertainer and
Haley Joel Osment. If the show is indeed concluding today, it will have played just nine regular performances.
For die-hard Mamet fans, there's always the
more favorably reviewed Broadway revival of
Speed-The-Plow to carry you through.
UPDATE (11/24/08, 12:05 p.m.): While I have not seen official notice anywhere else, the
American Buffalo Web site indicates that yesterday's performance was indeed the last.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: American Buffalo, Cedric the Entertainer, Closing Notices, David Mamet, Haley Joel Osment, John Leguizamo, Play, Revival, Robert Falls
Critics Don't Give A Dime About American Buffalo RevivalLast evening, the second Broadway revival for
David Mamet’s
American Buffalo enjoyed a rare Monday evening opening at the
Belasco Theatre. Helmed by
Robert Falls, the production stars
John Leguizamo,
Cedric the Entertainer and
Haley Joel Osment. Critics were largely disappointed.
Deeming the revival "enjoyable if not revelatory,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer provides a mixed assessment: "[T]his one has an exhilarating performance by John Leguizamo, who careens off Mamet's essence with a joy I missed in the oddly constricted
Plow. Robert Falls, the Chicago-based director who exploded expectations from the inside in recent smashing revivals ... isn't blowing the lid off Mamet tradition in this straightforward production.... Do we need another
American Buffalo in a season bereft of new plays? Of course not. Is it good to have it back? Sure."
Branding it a "deflated revival,"
Ben Brantley of The New York Times clearly believes the production's talent wasn't up to the Mamet task: "In the latest version of
American Buffalo, the words feel too limp to stick together, and each character seems to have a different mother tongue. This is a resounding disappointment, given the talent of those involved.... The rhythms of this production are those of a sitcom, with lots of empty space between lines to let audiences fully register jokes and outlandish figures of speech. Such an approach saps the strength of
American Buffalo.... Nobody appears desperate here. Well, not the characters, anyway; the actors are another matter."
Taking note that "If the F-word really were an F-bomb, there would be nothing left of Times Square," Bloomberg's
John Simon says that the sum doesn't equal the parts: "The play is skillfully directed by Robert Falls, who has choreographed some arresting movements and imposed fascinating changes in tempo and dynamics. The actors squeeze everything possible out of their parts, Cedric, for example, managing to say 'No' in peculiarly layered ways. There is even a vocal trio in the interplay of Cedric’s rumbling bass, Leguizamo’s whining, high-pitched tenor and Osment’s overeager or anxious countertenor. But put it all together and it spells blather of the peculiarly Mametian brand, in which obscenity and scatology sprout like mushrooms in damp, shady ground. Cut out the foulmouthed verbiage and the play would be appreciably shorter but hardly better. It might even lose what specious colorfulness it has."
Lamenting that the revival "sits so flatly on its impressive self,"
Variety's
David Rooney also joins the chorus of critics wondering what happened: "Robert Falls' production drains much of the humor, urgency and anxiety from the piece, letting it amble along like an inflated actors' exercise in sustaining atmosphere without action.... Falls has proven himself repeatedly to be an exceptional director with actors. But while he gets capable work out of all three cast members on the surface, his naturalistic approach is not suited to Mamet's muscularly theatrical language. The actors too rarely get under their characters' skins to expose the bitter insecurity lurking there.... Dynamic as he is, Leguizamo's flashy tricks are part of the problem."
Concluding that this revival "rarely succeeds,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News offers just two out of five stars: "Despite a starry cast of John Leguizamo, Haley Joel Osment and Cedric the Entertainer, who's miscast, the tepid two-hour two-act, directed by Robert Falls, makes the story seem very slight, with all the danger and combustibility of a book of soggy matches.... Leguizamo makes the character his own with a one-two wallop of scary-funny. He's constantly compelling as he roams nervously, grabs his crotch for emphasis and unleashes X-rated torrents.... Though he's an appealing actor, Cedric the Entertainer is so sitcom-cuddly and cute, he simply lacks the needed edge to convince as Don."
Asking, "Just how many f - - - ing David Mamet revivals do we need this season
?" New York Post's
Barbara Hoffman (does anyone know how Clive Barnes is, other than "on leave"???) awards just two out of four stars: "
American Buffalo has all the profanity and none of the poetry. As directed by the usually estimable Robert Falls, with John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer and Haley Joel Osment, it's flatter than a cow plop.... Cedric is a solid, almost fatherly Don who makes the most of the show's genuinely funny moments -- miming, say, the back end of a sexy bicyclist -- though he rolls his eyes a few times too many. And Osment, also new to Broadway, makes a touchingly vulnerable Bobby in a role that doesn't grow much. (This time, he sees bored people.)"
So there you have it folks.
One Mamet revival receiving
generally solid notices, followed by this one that reeks of critical disappointment. Interesting to note that the former is the one that had scheduled a limited run. Wonder if the team associated with the latter is rethinking their plans?
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: American Buffalo, Broadway, Cedric the Entertainer, Critics' Capsule, David Mamet, Haley Joel Osment, John Leguizamo, Play, Revival, Robert Falls, Speed-The-Plow
Broadway Gets Nickeled (Not Dimed) Tonight As American Buffalo Revival OpensThis evening, the second Great White Way revival of
David Mamet’s seminal play
American Buffalo opens at the
Belasco Theatre.
With two-time Tony winning director
Robert Falls at the helm, the play stars
John Leguizamo as Walter Cole,
Cedric the Entertainer as Donny Dubrow, and
Haley Joel Osment as Bobby. The
American Buffalo revival marks the Broadway debuts for both Messrs. Kyle (a/k/a "the Entertainer") and Osment.
American Buffalo, of course, is the second Mamet revival currently performing on Broadway, with the limited run of
Speed-The-Plow having opened just last month to
primarily good reviews.
Will critics be ready to toast this one as well? Find out tomorrow as I provide my regular critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: American Buffalo, Broadway, Cedric the Entertainer, David Mamet, Haley Joel Osment, John Leguizamo, Play, Revival, Robert Falls, Speed-The-Plow
Broadway Preview: American BuffaloJust when you may have thought this fall’s portion of Broadway’s 2008-09 Theatre Season could not have become any more packed -- especially with word that a planned revival of
Brigadoon has been
postponed due to
lack of available theatre space -- comes word that
David Mamet’s seminal play
American Buffalo will be revived on a Rialto stage for the second time, albeit with no theatre selected.
Contributing toward a bit of a Mamet renaissance, this will mark the second revival for one of his works during the current Theatrical Season alongside the previously announced
Speed-The-Plow. A three-hander story of a hatched heist,
American Buffalo was initially produced nearly 33 years ago at Chicago’s
Goodman Theatre. In a bit of serendipity, that Windy City venue’s
current artistic director
Robert Falls -- a Tony winner in his own right for 1999’s
Death Of A Salesman -- will reportedly helm the upcoming revival.
First directed on Broadway by Tony-nominated
Ulu Grosbard back in 1977,
American Buffalo then starred
Robert Duvall as Walter Cole (a/k/a "Teacher"), the late
Kenneth McMillan as Donny Dubrow and
John Savage as Bobby. That production earned two Tony nominations and enjoyed 122 performances, first at the
Ethel Barrymore Theatre and subsequently at the
Belasco Theatre.
Six short years later in 1983, the
first revival was helmed by
Arvin Brown at the
Booth Theatre.
Al Pacino headlined as Walter Cole, while the late
James Hayden initiated the role of Bobby and
J. J. Johnston played Donny Dubrow. This production made headlines when Hayden tragically died of a drug overdose shortly into the run. Nominated for the 1984 Tony for Best Reproduction, the play enjoyed a total of 93 performances before closing in February 1984.
According to Playbill, the latest incarnation will include
John Leguizamo as Walter Cole, and producers have their sights set on landing comedian
Cedric the Entertainer to portray Donny Dubrow. I’ve previously marveled at Leguizamo’s versatility on film (although I confess to not caring much for his one-man performance
Sexaholix back in 2001). However, I’m a bit stunned by the hoped-for casting of Cedric the Entertainer. Sure, he's a very funny comic, but does he have the dramatic chops needed for the stage?
Dear readers, please tell me what you see that I’m not getting.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Labels: American Buffalo, Broadway, Cedric the Entertainer, David Mamet, John Leguizamo, Play, Revival, Robert Falls
Unless Public Bison Tix, American Buffalo Will Close Today
