FRINGE 2019: Early David Mamet lacks impact of his later work
A Life In The Theatre
Stage 29 (The Playhouse)
David Mamet was just coming off a career as a failed actor in 1977 when we wrote A Life in the Theatre. It was a sardonic love letter to the theatre community, and a very young Mamet was just flexing his writing muscles.
Later to come was the Pulitzer Prize, Glengarry Glen Ross, the Tony Nominations and movies like The Verdict.
A Life in the Theatre demonstrates Mamet’s later abilities – the masterful dialogue and skillful use of subtext – but little of his dramatic punch.
The dated feeling of the work is not overcome by this Fringe production despite some superior acting and ingenious low-rent staging (from director Kathleen Weiss).
Robert (David Ley) is an aging theatrical lion, and John (Robert’s son, Sebastian Ley) is the appointed Prince. Not quite ready yet to take command of the theatrical kingdom, the kids is talented, ambitious and determined. In a routine of applying makeup or generally going through warm-up rituals, the veteran mounts an effort to make the boy aware of the traditions of Theatre. The battle-scarred trouper is beginning to lose it, forgetting his lines and blaming other actors for his failings.
As the play progresses, the young actor grows more restive, bored at his elder’s rantings and finally barks, “Will you please shut up?!”
The problem is that Mamet never passes on that sense of the culture, vitality, ritual and practice of theatre. He gives the older actor some ringing lines: “We are the explorers of the soul” or something like “…following in the footsteps of those who have gone before.” However, they come off more like Mamet trying to please his drama professor rather than any declaration of soul. Mamet doesn’t help by giving John a largely reactive role. All the good lines, and a chance to tap into his inner ham, are given to Robert – and the elder Ley has a grand old time tucking into them.
A Life in the Theatre is meant to be a rueful meditation on theatre itself, but lacks that spark that makes for great drama – a life of its own.
3 out of 5
