A Review of Speed the Plow, February 17, 2009 performance

Success is at the heart of this play: Bobby Gould (William H. Macy) is saturated with it, by it, and the need for it; Charlie Fox (Raúl Esparza), like the animal that his name symbolizes, is hungry for success; Karen (Elisabeth Moss) seems to want it, but in a different way than Fox does, or so it seems.

The character Bobby Gould does not want people “promoting him.” He is sick of it in one moment, mildly irritated by it in the next. What does this mean, “promoting him?” Does it mean that people are promoting him to others, or promoting something to him? Or, maybe some odd combination of both. This ambiguous use of the verb is not just meant to sketch Gould as a Hollywood-type who turns everyday sayings into insider-lingo, it is also meant to be, well, ambiguous.

Moss has played this character Karen before—in the West Wing—in Mad Men: the quiet girl whose strongest virtue is in being underestimated. Don’t get me wrong, she plays this character the best way it can be played; she plays all of them the best way they can be played. I have yet to see the part written for Elisabeth Moss that will let her do what she really has the potential to do. In writing Karen (admittedly this was in the 1980’s), Mamet wrote a cross between Bradbury’s Clarisse from Fahrenheit 451 and The Bible’s Eve. Karen is a blameworthy temptress with a dreamer edge and a penchant for Shrink-like honesty.

Moss plays her character like a wolf in china-doll’s clothing (that means good). Macy is awesome as Gould. He gives us just enough sympathy to feel torn as he screws over his pal Fox in Act III. Aside from the fact that Fox is a livelier character, Esparza's comedic physicality is flawless—I didn’t hear one fake laugh from the audience.

In essence, see this play if you have the chance because it does what a Broadway play ought to do: entertain you and give you something to talk about on the drive home, to contemplate the next day, to compare to the life you know. However, as a play, I think that the characters were not created equally, and I do think this is a flaw in the play-writing. Fox is a way more interesting character than the other two; Gould has too many caricature-esq lines. Karen goes from quiet and obedient to believably and surprisingly expressive uttering in Act III, “We have a fucking meeting to go to!” But, the aforementioned line is her biggest fault. That Gould is willing to see Fox’s point simply because of Karen’s social faux pas is just too textbook. I do, however, think Moss would act well in a more domestic role, one where her character gets to curse at people more often.

Speed the Plow is a David Mamet play and is currently at The Barrymore Theater
This is the Wikipedia entry on the play