Edinburgh Festivals

Fringe 2001

Speed the Plow
Benet Catty

David Mamet's sharp-witted examination of Hollywood greed opens with two cynical producers, Gould and Fox, on the verge of signing a big movie deal and boasting about their impending success.

The two friends are united by their willingness to play the Hollywood game - churning out bad films for high profits as 'whores'. Cheerfully accepting that they are both irredeemable, they make a bet - that Gould cannot seduce his temporary secretary because she is too pure for him.

It is this challenge and the realisation of the loss of his own integrity that leads Gould to discover that there may be more to life than the shallow fortunes of Hollywood. The dichotomies of pragmatism and romance, corruption and purity, are played out in Mamet's fast-paced dialogue.

The strong wit of the male characters reflects a hardened sense of the world, contrary to the simple, naiive statements of the girl. When they boast of the profits they reap from tasteless films, she asks plainly, "Why do they have to be bad?". They scoff at her, but then it turns out that for one day their worlds can be turned upside down by such simplicity. Good performances for a demanding play.