Indira Varma and Rosa Salazar in Glengarry Glen Ross [Manuel Harlan]

DAVID Mamet’s 1983 classic exposes the ugly side of capitalism as four real-estate agents cheat, connive and steal to come out on top.

Directed by Patrick Marber, this revival features an all-female cast for the first time in a major production – a choice Mamet advocated – although it’s unclear what more this version is interrogating.

Levene (Indira Varma) is down on his luck, worried about money and losing his job. He tries to persuade wily manager Williamson (Dorothea Myer-Bennett) to give him better leads. She’s willing to sell them, but wants cash up-front, which Levene doesn’t have.

Moss (Niky Wardley) and Aaronow (Nancy Crane) discuss stealing the Glengarry leads and selling them to a rival agency, while master schemer Roma (Rosa Salazar) manipulates a bewildered, middle-aged man, James Lingk (Mercedes Bahleda), into buying property.

The setting remains Chicago. Staged in the round, Rob Howell’s design hints at locations rather than immersing us in details. Chinese lanterns and fish tanks evoke the restaurant in the opening scene, while the second half unfolds in a ransacked office under the watchful eye of police detective Baylen (Florence Odumosu), who interviews each man in turn.

At 85 minutes without an interval, Mamet’s rapid-fire dialogue barely allows us to draw breath, while Marber sets a terrific pace that occasionally outpaces our focus.

The performances are stellar, but having female actors play male characters feels odd because there is no attempt to reimagine the story as one about women who can be every bit as hungry for money and power as men.

Until July 18
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