American Buffalo (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: David Mamet
- First Published: 1976
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The 1970’s
- Setting: Don’s Resale Shop, in a nondescript city
- Principal Characters: Don Dubrow, Bob, Walter Cole (Teach)
- Genres: Drama, Psychological drama, Parody
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Twentieth century, Friendship, Emotions, Substance abuse, Robbery or robbers, Loyalty, Drug addiction or addicts, Ethics, Business or business people, Work or workers, Paranoia, Collecting or collectors, Coins
- Locales: United States
The Play
American Buffalo is set in Don’s Resale Shop in an unidentified city. The opening act unfolds on a Friday morning as Don and his gofer Bob are engaged in conversation, the importance of which the audience is not initially told. The elliptical dialogue provides the audience only with snatches of names and details that will form the basis of the subsequent action: Apparently Don has sold a buffalo-head nickel to a customer for ninety dollars and now believes that he has been swindled out of an even greater “business deal.” Bob has been sent to follow the...
[The entire page is 2619 words long]

