The cast of Speed the Plow looks the part of slimy-corporate types.

DETAILS

Speed the Plow presented by Ground Zero & Hit & Myth Productions
Vertigo Theatre
Tuesday, November 10 - Sunday, November 22

More in: Theatre

Ground Zero Theatre and Hit & Myth’s new production of David Mamet’s Speed the Plow shows us the dark and humorous side of the oft-glamourized business of show business.

The play follows Gould and Fox, film producers on the verge of making a major movie deal. The two men are excited because this movie will probably make them loads of money.

In a telling private moment, Karen, a secretary in the producers’ office, asks Gould an embarrassing question: “Is it a good film?”

“I admire you for not being ashamed to ask the question,” responds Gould. “It’s a commodity…. I don’t know if it is a good film.”

“Is there such a thing as a good film which loses money? In general, of course. But, really, not.”

Offstage, this commercialization of art draws strong reactions from actors Julie Orton and Trevor Leigh. “It’s terrible!” says Leigh. “The business standard for art is what will make you the most money and [who cares if it means anything.]” In the world of show business, art with little commercial value is humoured (or given a “courtesy read”) but not taken seriously. “And that’s just insulting,” he says.

“It’s an unfortunate reality,” says Orton. “So much stuff out there has no [substance] at its base. It’s about assembling as many selling points as you can. Will Smith plus robots plus a hot chick and there’s your blockbuster.”

The two actors believe the play is relevant outside the world of Hollywood and film. “We live in Calgary, a very corporate, money-driven city,” says Leigh. “It’s a white-collar town and everybody’s chasing the Almighty dollar.”

Orton agrees. “What I’ve noticed is this similarity between the play’s two main characters and these oil kids. They’re real slick and shiny, they got their [designer clothes] and the fancy ties, but it’s all for show.”

Leigh has done some film work before and knows a little of what the film world is like. “You would not believe the amount of talk that goes on,” he says. “It’s going in all kinds of directions and you have to somehow make sense of all of it.” When asked if some of that talk included bullshit and mind-games, as portrayed in Speed the Plow, Leigh’s eyes widen and he nods slowly. “It’s unreal. You would not believe it.”

Mamet captures that kind of Hollywood talk through his brilliant, punchy dialogue. Many compare his dialogue to music — like listening to the rhythms and beats of a drum.

“It’s a huge challenge,” says Orton. “He writes the way intelligent speakers speak. And he doesn’t lay everything about the characters out in the open; there’s so much subtext. It’s hard work, but if the actor does their homework, it can be really rewarding and a lot of fun.”

Orton’s character, Karen, becomes the object of a bet between Fox and Gould, with Gould betting he can take her to bed with no professional strings attached. “She’s a woman [in an environment that] constantly looks at women as sexual objects. I haven’t experienced that so much in theatre, but in our society, in everyday life, definitely.”

Karen is also at the bottom of the show business food chain and wants to get ahead. “I’m interested in what she wants and what she’s willing to do to get it,” says Orton. And Karen is willing to go to some sizable lengths in order to climb the company ladder.

The commercialization of art is not entirely bad, however. Leigh expresses admiration for producers who use the best of both worlds, like Joel Cochrane of Hit & Myth Productions. “In those cases, you’ve got someone putting money behind something not only with wide audience appeal, but with substance as well.”