Whoever told you you could work with men?

As if I needed a reason to check out the New Hazlett Theatre's performance of "Glengarry Glen Ross," it turns out this production of the David Mamet classic is directed by RMU adjunct professor Melissa Martin. She teaches in the Department of Media Arts, and this semester, for the first time, she offered a course in screenwriting.

I've never seen "Glengarry" on the stage, but the film is in my personal Top 10. The cast is loaded with talent: Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Al Pacino and the late Jack Lemmon. Baldwin's role, incidentally, was written by Mamet for the film, and his brief but memorable scene -- in which he delivers a verbal beat-down to the beleaguered salesmen -- includes the famous line "Coffee is for closers."

Now if you'll excuse me, there's a set of steak knives out there with my name on it.

-- Jonathan Potts