Buffalo full of vivid violent tension

The air in Noah basement Thursday night was thick with tension, and it wasn't due to that damp, subterranean basement air.

David Mamet's American Buffalo is being staged in Noah basement through Saturday. The play, directed by college junior Tom Kriegsmann, is loosely about thievery and friendship.

Donny, played by college sophomore Corey Stoll, runs a resale shop somewhere sometime in America. Bobby, played by college sophomore Chris Abraham is his lackey-type cronie, and Teach, played by college sophomore Ben Rosen, is Donny's overbearing business partner.

The resale shop is a mess, cluttered with junk, harshly lit.

Right away there is tension between Bobby and Donny. Bobby forgets to bring Donny his coffee, and there is something awry as Bobby struggles to tell a dense Donny that he saw something suspicious on his way to get the food.

Donny sold a buffalo nickel that he had among the junk in his store for $90, and he wants it back. Bobby has some sort of scheme rigged, and Teach hears of it and easily convinces Donny that he, not Bobby, should help with the robbery, which is what they have planned. They want to go to the rich man's house and get the coin back, and get whatever else of value that they can.

Teach pours out random rationalizations for the crime they're about to commit, but doesn't ever follow his own heedings. "Knowing what the fuck you're talking about makes all the difference," he notes, even though he is clueless as to the proper way to break into a house. It's not that his character is by any means happy-go-lucky, just whimsical in a bossy and overpowering way. He somehow manages to convince Donny that everything he says is right. The interaction between the two is incredible; it makes your stomach clench unconsciously. They plan out how they will break in, where the coin could be hidden, and what tools and schemes they will need to get the job done. Like two little kids playing cops and robbers.

The actors are well-cast, and pretty comfortable in their roles. Donny comes across as a sweet, bumbling character. Although he acts unadmirably, it is easy to place the blame on Teach, who is great as a seedy mastermind. Bobby is also hard to hate because his character is so feeble, and you just hope that he doesn't get steamrolled by the others.

The actors mumbled their lines a bit in the beginning, but as they got more into their roles the enunciation improved. The second act is so involving and violent it made much of the audience sit on the edge of their seats. Not that there is that much real action, but the characters are larger than life and blow everything out of proportion. They are so intense, so vivid and nervous in their actions and interactions that they physically wreak havoc on the set and the audience as they throw props around, shout and storm about the little stage. American Buffalo starts out strong and tense, which makes for an exciting two hours.