The Play
Speed the Plow is a play to get you thinking; is the world of Hollywood as fickle and greedy as you think? Do women have such power over men to influence their decisions? Do we make decisions based on what is right, or what is easy? The latter is the question I came away asking myself after seeing this play. This play asks all of the above questions, but notably focused on whether newly- appointed studio producer, Bobby Gould (Jeff Goldblum) should recommend a dire film with a top leading man that will make him and his long-time associate, Charlie Fox (Kevin Spacey) filthy rich, or go with a film based on a book describing the end of the world (“the radiation book”) that is unlikely to be a box office success but would win him the heart of his secretary, Karen (Laura Michelle Kelly).
Kevin portrays Charlie in this act as a man with something he is just bursting to tell his friend, except his friend keeps on talking and won’t let him speak. He gets the exasperation just right and keeps fighting for the opportunity to speak. Eventually Charlie gets to tell Bobby his news; Kevin lets you share in the excitement Charlie feels and the relief once Bobby is told and he is ‘unburdened’ with the news. When Bobby’s temporary secretary enters they all engage in some banter and upon her exit, Charlie bets Bobby he won’t be able to get her to sleep with him just because she likes him and not for his power/influence. Bobby then asks Karen to read a book he’s been sent to see if it’s worth making into a movie, knowing that he has no intention of making the book but it will allow him to get Karen to his home that evening.
Act Two is at Bobby’s house that evening. I admit, when Kevin’s on stage I do pay more attention but I was interested in the story yet I couldn’t quite stop myself from getting a little bored during this act. As Karen is professing the wonders of the book to Bobby, I couldn’t help but think that she wasn’t selling it very well.
Act three begins back in Bobby’s office. Kevin is able again to show you how excited Charlie is at the thought of being rich from his movie. When Bobby tells him he’s making the radiation book, Charlie can’t believe it. I found myself feeling sorry for Charlie and willing him to get through to Bobby to make the ‘right’ decision, which he had managed to convince me was his film. This is when Kevin really comes into his own; Charlie launches a verbal and then physical attack on Bobby.The whole theatre was silent as everyone was enthralled with the action. Charlie then gets Karen into the room and begins to quiz her about the events of last night. Whilst Karen doesn’t want to answer him whether she slept with Bobby, she has to admit she did and that she wouldn’t have if he hadn’t agreed to make the film of the radiation book. Charlie is triumphant and Charlie boots Karen out of the room unceremoniously. Kevin shows the delight of Charlie having proved he was right all along.
All three actors excelled themselves in the final act, it was only the second act that lets it down but I hope that it will get better as the play progresses. Kevin is by far the shining star in this play. He pulls out a better performance then the others- perhaps it’s more of the range of the character, from excitement to fear and anger he really gets to stretch more then the other two.
The Stage Door
I’ve come along way by the time I got to this, my third encounter, with Kevin at the stage door. I got to ask him for a photo which he kindly agreed to, usually I’m rendered speechless. Kevin was his natural courteous self when he appeared around 15 minutes after the play ended, thanking the crowd of around 30 personally as they approached the “hatch” and had their play programme signed.
