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'''Speed-the-Plow''' (1988) is an acclaimed play by David Mamet which is a satirical dissection of the American movie business, a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films ''Wag the Dog'' (1997) and ''State and Main'' (2000).
Hollywood producers Bobby Gould and Charlie Fox engage in a verbal boxing match centered around the eternal debate of art versus money. Should Gould go for another bad action blockbuster? Or should he put himself on the line for a film adaptation of a spiritual, apocalyptic novel? Gould's secretary Karen acts as catalyst in the debate (Gould has her read the novel in order to report on it to him later, at his apartment; there she gives a glowing review of the novel's themes and content) and, only to be ditched just as easily in the play's cynical finale, with Gould's partner, Fox, accusing her of using her sex to get a place in the movie business.
The play's text contains an epigram by William Makepeace Thackeray, from his novel ''Pendennis'', which puts the theme in larger context. It starts: "Which is the most reasonable, and does his duty best: he who stands aloof from the struggle of life, calmly contemplating it, or he who descends to the ground, and takes his part in the contest?" Gould finds himself on both sides of this dilemma, and at times in the play he "stands aloof," and at other times he "takes part" in life's contest, with its moral strictures.
Jack Kroll of ''Newsweek'' described "Speed-the-Plow as "another tone poem by our nation's foremost master of the language of moral epilepsy."
''Speed-the-Plow'' was first performed by the Lincoln Center Theater at the Royale Theater, Broadway, New York, in 1988, with a cast of Joe Mantegna (Gould), Ron Silver (Fox) and Madonna (Karen). The play was nominated for a Tony Award for Play of the Year. Silver won a Tony Award for Best Actor (Play). It has since been produced countless times in regional theaters and schools across the country. A 2006 revival in Los Angeles featured Alicia Silverstone as Karen.
Highly anticipated revivals of "Speed-the-Plow" during the 2007-2008 season will play at the American Conservatory Theater (directed by Loretta Greco), London's Old Vic Theater (starring artistic director Kevin Spacey as Gould)[1], and Yale University's Whitney Theater as a senior thesis project for Nicholas Barton (Gould), Sarah Minkus (Karen), and Josh Odsess-Rubin (Fox)--to be directed by Scott Chaloff.
David Rabe's play and subsequent film adaptation ''Hurlyburly'' could be considered a companion piece to ''Speed-the-Plow'', centering on the empty lives of a group of Hollywood executives after the debate was won by money.
GOULD: Rich, are you kidding me? We're going to have to hire someone just to figure out the ''things'' we want to buy.
FOX: Life in the movie business is like the, is like the beginning of a new love affair: it's full of surprises, and you're constantly getting fucked,
Hollywood producers Bobby Gould and Charlie Fox engage in a verbal boxing match centered around the eternal debate of art versus money. Should Gould go for another bad action blockbuster? Or should he put himself on the line for a film adaptation of a spiritual, apocalyptic novel? Gould's secretary Karen acts as catalyst in the debate (Gould has her read the novel in order to report on it to him later, at his apartment; there she gives a glowing review of the novel's themes and content) and, only to be ditched just as easily in the play's cynical finale, with Gould's partner, Fox, accusing her of using her sex to get a place in the movie business.
The play's text contains an epigram by William Makepeace Thackeray, from his novel ''Pendennis'', which puts the theme in larger context. It starts: "Which is the most reasonable, and does his duty best: he who stands aloof from the struggle of life, calmly contemplating it, or he who descends to the ground, and takes his part in the contest?" Gould finds himself on both sides of this dilemma, and at times in the play he "stands aloof," and at other times he "takes part" in life's contest, with its moral strictures.
Jack Kroll of ''Newsweek'' described "Speed-the-Plow as "another tone poem by our nation's foremost master of the language of moral epilepsy."
''Speed-the-Plow'' was first performed by the Lincoln Center Theater at the Royale Theater, Broadway, New York, in 1988, with a cast of Joe Mantegna (Gould), Ron Silver (Fox) and Madonna (Karen). The play was nominated for a Tony Award for Play of the Year. Silver won a Tony Award for Best Actor (Play). It has since been produced countless times in regional theaters and schools across the country. A 2006 revival in Los Angeles featured Alicia Silverstone as Karen.
| Contents |
| Upcoming Productions |
| Related Works |
| Quotes |
Upcoming Productions
Highly anticipated revivals of "Speed-the-Plow" during the 2007-2008 season will play at the American Conservatory Theater (directed by Loretta Greco), London's Old Vic Theater (starring artistic director Kevin Spacey as Gould)[1], and Yale University's Whitney Theater as a senior thesis project for Nicholas Barton (Gould), Sarah Minkus (Karen), and Josh Odsess-Rubin (Fox)--to be directed by Scott Chaloff.
Related Works
David Rabe's play and subsequent film adaptation ''Hurlyburly'' could be considered a companion piece to ''Speed-the-Plow'', centering on the empty lives of a group of Hollywood executives after the debate was won by money.
Quotes
GOULD: Rich, are you kidding me? We're going to have to hire someone just to figure out the ''things'' we want to buy.
FOX: Life in the movie business is like the, is like the beginning of a new love affair: it's full of surprises, and you're constantly getting fucked,
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