Wheelers, dealers,
nasty guys

By Diane Villano-Prokop
Times Staff Writer

The minute Harry Philibosian opens his mouth in the first scene of Theatre Exile’s production of Glengarry Glen Ross, you have no doubt that he is Shelley "The Machine" Levene — that he’s been closing a sale all of his life.
Philibosian’s rapid-fire and then wait-turn-and-fire-again delivery of playwright David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning dialogue is dead on.
For those not familiar with the play or the 1992 film by the same name (which earned Al Pacino an Oscar nomination for his performance of office hotshot Ricky Roma), Glengarry Glen Ross gives the audience a window to the cutthroat world of real estate and the empty souls of five salesmen who pull out all the devious and desperate stops to survive when the market goes soft.
These guys will resort to any bit of unethical conduct to dump undesirable property on unsuspecting buyers.
While the theme is no doubt noir, the solid performances of Philibosian, William Zielinski as the slick Roma, and H. Michael Walls as the conniving David Moss make for deliciously dark, gritty and yet humorous theater.
The production, now onstage at the Christ Church Neighborhood House near Second and Market streets, is directed by Northeast Philadelphia native Matt Pfeiffer, who received a Barrymore nomination for best direction of a play for the Lantern Theatre Co.’s production of The Foocy.
After the first act of Glengarry Glen Ross, Pfeiffer told his mother, who was in attendance, that the show was even better than he’d anticipated.
"You use preview performances to get ready to take the next step. They took a big leap," he said of his cast and crew. "It was one of the most rewarding opening nights for me as an actor or a director. I’m so proud of them."
Pfeiffer cast the Philadelphia-and-vicinity actors in the roles because of their work ethic, a trait he has come to know by having worked with most of them in other productions.
"Mamet’s material requires actors that can get right down to it. They come to work with their lunchpails," he said.
Pfeiffer understands firsthand the need for dedication to the roles. He studied with Mamet and the Atlantic Theatre Co. in 1996. Pfeiffer also acknowledged that learning the dialogues, which are almost soliloquies, is a big challenge for actors.
"Part of the trick is really committing to the text. You have to trust the text," he said. "Most actors like to secure themselves in some kind of emotional character development. With Mamet, you allow emotion to be a byproduct of pursuing the action."
The 29-year-old director also got to direct his Theatre Exile mentor, Joe Canuso.
"It was actually fun. Joe hasn’t been onstage for a while," Pfeiffer said. "One of the things about working with friends is that you develop a dialogue and a rapport. Joe was very supportive of my decisions. We both try not to run a rehearsal room."
The staging and set design offered another interesting layer to the production — the fortune cookies on audience seats, the familiar old paneling and paper lanterns in Act One’s Chinese restaurant, the stark brick walls of the third-floor theater, the believable warehouse office complete with old metal desks and utilitarian gooseneck lamps.
"It’s a unique evening of theater. I hope people will seek it out, despite the Alec Baldwin character not being in the play. Mamet added him (for the movie)," Pfeiffer said of the actor, who portrayed a ruthless boss who motivated his agents with fear and threats. "Theatre Exile’s production is a great chance to see the original source material." ••
Reporter Diane Villano-Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com

What you need to know

Glengarry Glen Ross, at the Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (near Second and Market streets), closes out Theatre Exile’s 10th anniversary season.
The show continues through May 13. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays. There also will be a Saturday matinee at 3 p.m. on May 12.
Tickets are $40 to $15. Call 215-922-4462 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or visit the Web site at www.theatreexile.org