- American Buffalo (play)
"American Buffalo" is a groundbreaking 1976 play by American
playwright David Mamet . A Broadway revival begins performances October 31, 2008 withJohn Leguizamo ,Cedric the Entertainer , andHaley Joel Osment starring. [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/120558.html Playbill 19 Aug 2008] ]Plot
The play concerns a team of men, Don, Teach, Bob, and Fletcher (who does not appear in the play, but is referred to), who are conspiring to steal a
coin collection from a wealthy man. Don, who owns ajunk shop , sold a nickel to a man for much less than what it was worth. Out of revenge, he and his friend-in-training, Bob, plan to steal the man's coin collection after suspecting that he went away for the weekend. Teach, an experienced and misanthropic friend of Don's, persuades Don to release Bob from the job because of what Teach feels is inexperience and potential disloyalty. Towards the end of the play, Bob, out of a need for money, attempts to sell Don a rare nickel, similar to the one Don sold. In a culmination of anger, Teach hits Bob on the head, believing that he stole the coin back and betrayed them. Fletcher, the outside man who never appeared in the play, ends up getting mugged and beaten by thugs. The play ends with the plan called off, and Don and Bob making amends.tyle
Apropos to Mamet's writing style, the play is very terse and vulgar. Teach uses the word "cunt" numerous times and all three of them use the word "Fuck" quite loosely. There are not many monologues and the parentheticals are very straightforward, without any line readings.
Awards and Film
The play won the
New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best play of the 1977 season. This play was also adapted to the screen withDennis Franz andDustin Hoffman starring in it.References
External links
* [http://www.americanbuffalobroadway.com "Official Broadway Site"] Website for the 2008 Broadway Production starring John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer, and Haley Joel Osment
* [http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=1516 "American Buffalo"] at theInternet Broadway Database
* Film adaptation of [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115530/ "American Buffalo"] at theInternet Movie Database
* [http://thattheatresite.com/library/showpages/show_302.html "American Buffalo" at ThatTheatreSite] Provides character descriptions, reviews, and updated audition listings.
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