character, his character was not in Mamet’s original Pulitzer Prize-winning play and this current production is the original play without the Baldwin character. Baldwin’s character was only in the film and was written (by Mamet) specifically for Baldwin after he lost the Roma role to Pacino. As I understand it, Baldwin was the film’s second choice for the Roma character if Pacino turned it down.
Apparently, some people who had only seen the film were disappointed that the Baldwin character is not in the play.
Bill Burr fits right into that world.
He was really good in this role. The whole ensemble had great chemistry and black comedy timing. The brutal desperation was absolutely there, but some people were surprised that the audience laughed. It was very dark comedy and some people just don’t get black comedy. But look at the casting for this production. Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr all have the acting chops to do black comedy well. And they all did. I’m a little mystified, with that cast, that some people were offended by the black comedy aspect, which, by definition, is dark comedy about serious subject matter. The audience I saw this with gave the cast a standing ovation. So, I assume most people there that night understood the black comedy.
