The Chinese restaurant’s flimsy table lurches under the desperate pleas of a man nursing a scotch, begging for another chance. The sauce is soy, the Susan is lazy and the noodles are bound to leave us hungry in about an hour. Negotiations are attempted, ideas are hatched and banter is clipped, quick and witty. Lighting designer Tom Kitney impeccably paints this scene vermillion, but the interactions portend no good fortune or joy. Were a fortune cookie to be cracked to peer into the future, the message would not be heralding the impending arrival of the bluebird of happiness. The setup is perfect; trouble is coming.

Nicholas Gardsen and Christopher Pitman in Glengarry Glen Ross, Flying Penguin Productions. Photo © Shane Reid

This intimate luncheon table in America’s Midwest is the alternate conference room of the 1980s, where deals are struck and futures are made and lost. Playwright David Mamet’s award-winning classic puts the con into conman, but it’s the desperation of the competing scammers with their underlying layers of greed and fear, that propels this gem.

Director David Mealor drives the magnificent cast of this production...