A revival of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Mamet’s 1988 play, Speed-the-Plow follows high-powered film executives Bobby Gould and Charlie Fox, two longtime friends who have risen through the ranks of the industry together since their first meeting in the company mailroom. One day after Gould receives a life-changing promotion, Fox loyally brings him a guaranteed hit, a golden film sure to make both men millions of dollars. When a fresh-faced secretary turns Gould’s head and piques his interest with an artsy project that has little commercial appeal, the battle between art and commerce begins. Soon, Gould must make a decision: in an industry powered almost solely by money, is the chance to “do good” worth more than millions–or a person’s loyalty?
Speed-the-Plow moves as quickly as its playwright’s searing, signature dialogue, clocking in at 90-minutes with no intermission. A sharp-witted comedy, the show is less a meta-play about the entertainment biz than a cutting discussion about the overlap, and effects of, big business, friendship and personal relationships. Speed the Plow tickets have had people at every age level laughing at one point and serious for another. What a great mix of characters, a must see.
