perfect pitch
Al Pacino’s ready to sell desperation in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’
He plays a loser on stage, but Al Pacino is a closer in life. Ask Daniel Sullivan, who’s directing the award-winning actor in Broadway’s new production of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” now in previews. “I’ve wanted to do the play for a long time,” says Sullivan. “In this case, Al attracted me to it.” In other words, Pacino sealed the deal. Bottom-line, done-deal thinking resonates with David Mamet’s brutal drama about dog-eat-dog salesmen. The play won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984.
In the 1992 film version, Pacino played Richard Roma, the hotshot in the Chicago real estate office.
This time he’s tackling Shelley Levene, a desperate has-been with no leads and as much time to change his luck.
“I haven’t seen the film in a long time,” says Pacino, adding that he’s eager to put his stamp on Shelley. “I haven’t played that part and so I don’t really remember it.”
Sullivan, who directed Pacino in “The Merchant of Venice,” didn’t need to be convinced, even though “Glengarry” was done just seven years ago and won a Best Revival Tony.
When it came to a fresh vision with Pacino, “I thought it was a wonderful idea,” says Sullivan. “It’s a play that continues to change with the times and one of the best dramas about American business.
“The last revival of this play took place during the real estate bubble and we know what happened to that,” he continues. “So the action of the play remains the same. We see it through a different prism.”
‘Glengarry Glen Ross” runs through Dec. 30 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
Joining Pacino on stage is Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale and an array of stage and TV actors includes David Harbour, John C. McGinley, Richard Schiff and Jeremy Shamos.
Cannavale plays the ruthless Roma and agrees that the current rough economy showcases the story.
“In tough times the play will resonate,” says Cannavale.
Also reverberating are the trademark staccato rhythms of Mamet’s dialogue. “It’s got a fun rat-a-tat and all that stuff and that takes a lot of work,” Cannavale says. “I was surprised how on the page it feels like some kind of Bach concerto.”
The bottom line about it is less romantic. Says Cannavale, “It’s a survival play.”
lminerva@nydailynews.com