Glengarry Glen Ross

By: David Mamet

Narrated by: Gordon Clapp, Kyle Colerider-Krugh, Richard Dreyfuss, John Getz, Joe Mantegna, Richard Schiff, Josh Stamberg

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A group of low-ranking real-estate salesmen are trying to survive in a cut-throat office culture. But when two of them devise a plot to redress the company's wrongs, the resulting turmoil increases the pressure to unbearable levels.

A 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring:

• Joe Mantegna as Ricky Roma
• Gordon Clapp as David Moss
• Kyle Colerider-Krugh as Detective Baylen
• Richard Dreyfuss as Shelly Levine
• John Getz as James Lingk
• Richard Schiff as George Aaronow
• Josh Stamberg as John Williamson

Directed by Eric Simonson. Recorded by L.A. Theatre Works before a live audience.

©1984 David Mamet (P)2013 L.A. Theatre Works

Critic reviews

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS David MametRead by Joe Mantegna, Gordon Clapp, Kyle Colerider-Krugh, Richard Dreyfuss, John Getz, Richard Schiff, Josh StambergThis wonderful full-cast rendering of Mamet's 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning play loses little in the staged recording. The gathering of vocal luminaries brings passion, poise, and panache to the narrative in a memorable audio performance. The subtle but completely appropriate sound effects are exciting and superbly amplify the angst and drama. There are seven active character voices, and while it's sometimes a bit difficult to keep them all straight, the natural flow of the story helps the listener stay on track with who's doing what to whom in this sometimes funny, sometimes brutally human drama. M.C. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2013] Poetry & Drama • 2 hrs. • Audio Program • ©1984

almost perfect

but I missed the Alec Baldwin character even though Rumor Has It it was ad-libbed for the movie. excellent casting even without Jack Lemmon.

Great for those already familiar with the play

I really enjoyed this one. The performances are spot on, with the actors perfecting the timing of the dialogue. A careful listener probably could follow this audio version without familiarity of the play, but I would recommend watching the wonderful James Foley movie for an introduction (assuming there isn't a readily available live version nearby).

That being said, much like Shakespeare, it's a delight to hear a new version of the show for those of us who are already familiar with the material. There's a lot of screaming and profanity as well as some casual racism and sexism, particularly in the end, but anyone who's been around this much testosterone has probably experienced something similar. The actors chew the scenery, and are working with strong enough material to support the big performances.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this because the play has a good rhythm, and takes the listener into an interesting world, telling a simple, but entertaining, story along the way. It's a great piece of drama and this is an excellent performance of it.

Much better if you're already familiar with it.

This was well done -- the performances were on point, but it's much better if you already know the play so you'll understand the entrances/exits.

Great cast

It's an interesting story. Reminds me, in a way, of Death of Salesman. I'm also painfully aware of how ignorant the typical salesman is of the basic facts of statistics. I've worked in sales offices, and while this may represent a time gone by with some of the language, still a lot of the attitude reminds me of people I knew.

Good, but leaves you hanging

First up, the performance was excellent. I wish I could have seen the stage production after listening.

As for the story, that suffers from the time constraints that a play imposes. It seems like the book is just getting going when it ends. The subject matter itself is a little on the week side. It highlights the cut-throat atmosphere of high pressure salesmen, but this is a segment of society whom with anyone would have a hard time empathizing.

A short listen, I recommend you give this version a try even just to experience the full cast performance.

Where's the ABC speech?

For some reason this version is missing the character that was played by Alec Baldwin, Blake. There's no always be closing speech, no explanation of the sales contest and cadillac prize. That scene was a classic, the best scene in the movie, and without that context this audiobook falls flat. Don't get me wrong though, the performances by Mantagena and Dreyfuss were stellar.

IT IS A BETTER PLAY THAN AN AUDIOBOOK

Would you try another book from David Mamet and/or the narrators?

A BOOK BUT NOT A PLAY.

What did you like best about this story?

IT HAD LOTS OF POTENTIAL. BUT I FELT THE PLAY LEFT SOMETHING OUT. I DID NOT FEEL I UNDERSTOOD THE WHOLE STORY. I MAY READ IT AGAIN AS IT IS NOT THAT LONG. I FELT IT GOT BETTER TWORDS THE END.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I LOVED RICHARD DREYFUSS ESPACIALLY BUT I AM PARTIAL TO HIM. I HAVE SEEN HIM IN MANY MOVIES. HE IS TALENTED.

Was Glengarry Glen Ross worth the listening time?

YES IT WAS BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. IF I WAS IN THE AUDIENCE I AM SURE I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A LOT MORE OUT OF THE STORY.

powerful performance

I've never seen this play produced, but I have seen the movie so I was prepared for the strong language and palpable anger in the dialogue.......and these performers do a wonderful job. The anger and fear is almost palpable among the salesmen of a real estate development as they struggle to sell properties to feed their families and rank higher than their coworkers on the sales board each month, so they can get better sales leads the next month to try and hustle to earn enough to feed their families again.

If you've never listened to a live performance it might take a bit to get used to the sounds of the audience applauding, for instance, but it's worth it to hear this great script and great performers.

Great but could use better voice differentiation

It's a lovely production. Some of the voices are a bit close in tone. A casting thing. Could be better cast.

Short and Sweet

Would you listen to Glengarry Glen Ross again? Why?

Yes. I feel like there's more to be gained through a second listen. It's short, so it's not a major task.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The hardest thing in life is sell

Stock Brokers steal money, but it's not your fault, it's theirs

A Story For Everyone Who Works For A Living.

Lie. Cheat. Steal. All In A Day's Work.