New Repertory
Theatre’s smart, hip production of David Mamet’s RACE (playing through Nov. 4th)
does for lawyers what he did for real estate salesmen in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS.
These attorneys are cut-throat and nasty and they’re hilarious. Mamet revels in
men behaving badly—from the petty thieves in AMERICAN BUFFALO to the property
hustlers in GLENGARRY to the lawyers in RACE who are happy to represent anyone
for any crime because they get to “play” a jury.
Mamet deals in
stereotypes. (He’s never been accused of creating deep, meaningful drama.) The
characters in RACE are tropes but Mamet nonetheless can hammer home some
resonant truths. The case here is race: a rich white man (not unlike Dominique
Strauss-Kahn and the chambermaid) is accused of raping a black woman. “Same
case. Same place,” says the lawyer. “Fifty years [ago]. You’re innocent.”
That cagey
Mamet. He’s written a piece which will affect each audience member differently.
Three lawyers on stage with three opinions about how to present the case: two
are experienced, one is not. One is a white man and the other two are black,
one woman and one man.
Of the audience
members I’ve talked to, the white men blame the woman (for the outcome of the
play). The white and black women I’ve talked to side with her and a few (Boy,
this is hard to say without giving anything away) said, “It’s about time.” Now
obviously, I haven’t talked to everyone but Mamet has crafted a play which
manipulates some of us to care more about comeuppance than innocence.
Director Robert
Walsh drives the play like a bullet train. It went by so fast, it left me
wanting more. I have to hand it to Mamet. He’s conjured up a “pageant” just
like the “show” his lawyers put on to influence a jury. What a cast New Rep has
to “interrupt [our] thinking process.” Miranda Craigwell is perfection as the
bright new hire at the firm, fresh out of law school, eager to learn the game.
Ken Cheeseman postures and patronizes the new “girl” (girl?) as he brags about his
legal prowess. He and Cliff Odle are simply outrageous as the new “old boy”
network.
Odle’s comic
timing is relentless as he holds forth on race, getting laughs by the carload
from his sardonic take on the subject. Mamet hasn’t been this funny in a long
time. Patrick Shea has the extremely difficult task of portraying the clueless,
rarified CEO who thinks it’s OK to make racial jokes and maybe even to rape (if
he’s guilty). Shea pulls it off. You just shake your head in amazement that someone
would be so out of touch with reality.
Janie E.
Howland’s slick office set (with no personal effects) and Scott Pinckney’s
harsh fluorescents speak volumes about these lawyers. Charles Schoonmaker
costumes Craigwell in chic right down to her toes, showing us she may be new
but she knows how to make a classy impression.
