Mamet, David. Speed-the-plow, London : Methuen, 2002.
It is a pleasure to include a play in this blog. Speed-the-Plow is usually described as a black comedy, a genre of dramatic literature that Mamet has made his own. It's interesting to see how one of America's leading playwrights interprets Hollywood; and here he explores the art of the movie deal, the crass shenanigans of movie executives and the eternal dilemma of art versus commerce. Speed-the-Plow, which has only three characters, premiered in 1988 on Broadway. The production gained immense publicity because one of the characters - Karen - was performed by pop singer, Madonna.
This is a play of snappy one-liners yet the dialogue reveals a sub text of angst and corruption of the soul.
In truth, the play did not set the world alight but nor did the play diminish its author's reputation. Mamet (born 1947) is regarded as one of America's elite playwrights: his output has been prolific and he writes for both stage and screen. One of his most famous plays is Glengarry Glen Ross, which was awarded the Pulitzer prize for Drama in 1984 and filmed in 1992 Speed-the-Plow has yet to be adapted for the screen.
No comments:
Post a Comment