American Buffalo -- TheaterWorks

Archive Review --

Don’t miss Andrew Benator’s performance as the repulsively racist, misogynistic sleazebag Teach in David Mamet’s American Buffalo, running through Oct. 18 at TheaterWorks, Hartford. Benator delivers laughs as the not-so-wise wiseguy Walter Cole (a.k.a. Teach) who tries to mastermind a rare-coin heist with two other inept boobs, Donny Dubrow (John Ahlin), a kind, naïve junk shop owner who realized the value of the targeted coins and the somewhat mentally-challenged younger boy Bobby (Zachary Spicer) for whom Danny looks out. "You people make my flesh crawl," the disgusting Teach yells at Donny and Bobby when they won’t follow his leadership. You can hardly help but laugh at the irony. The three are expertly guided by director Steve Campo through Mamet’s trademark fast paced, foul-language-laced dialogue. The junk shop set by Adrian W. Jones is the epitome of shabby chaos meets clutter and when it gets trashed toward the end of the play, you really feel for the stage manager who needs to put the mélange back together for the next show. In fact, all of the items in “Don’s Resale Shop” will be auctioned off on the last day of the run as a fundraiser for TheaterWorks. Some more valuable items will be hidden among them. The production design team also includes Adrian W. Jones (sets) and Matthew Richards (lighting). Production Manager is Michael Lenaghan. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm; Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2:30 pm. Tickets are $38-$60 and can be purchased by calling (860) 527-7838 or online at http://www.theaterworkshartford.org