A story about witty criminals who attempt a coin heist seems like it would be anything but mundane and tiring, but unfortunately David Mamet's "American Buffalo," now playing at the Geffen Playhouse, is the farthest thing from entertaining. The show is more aggravating than fulfilling, as Mamet's characters lack any development and the show's entire sense of humor is based on overly vulgar language that grows tiresome within the first ten minutes. While Mamet is notorious for his use of profane poetry, the lack of depth in each of the characters makes the language totally unmotivated and even awkward at times.

The plot revolves around three characters: the junkie, Bob (Freddy Rodriguez); the junkshop owner, Don Dubrow (Bill Smitrovich); and the angry and obscene Teach (Ron Eldard). The first act takes place in the morning, with Don and Teach planning the robbery of a valuable coin collection, and the second act takes place later that night when the team discovers their plan has fallen through. Both acts are excruciatingly long, and the crux of each could have been—and should have been—reduced to at least half their length.

Every action taken by the actors lacked compulsion and seemed so obviously rehearsed that by the time Teach had his "surprising" outburst where he wrecks the set, the audience was left feeling disconnected and unsympathetic. Moreover, the emotional level of the actors flatlined at simply "angry" for a majority of this lengthy production leaving the story unvaried and, quite frankly, boring. 

Adding to the monotony of this production was the messy junkshop set (by Takeshi Kata) that was as sloppy and colorless as the story being told. While the set was highly detailed and very accurate of what a 1970s resale shop would probably look like, it failed to create an interesting, three-dimensional space and instead trapped all of the actors downstage. However, given the play's overall bad writing and weak storyline, it is difficult to blame any of the designers or even director Randall Arney for this muddled chaos.

All things considered, "American Buffalo" lacks any profundity or even hilarity that can be taken away after leaving the theater. A poorly-written script coupled with poorly-acted characters leaves the audience wondering how two hours could have been better spent.

Reach Associate Arts Editor Savannah here.

"American Buffalo" is playing at the Geffen Playhouse (10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024) through May 12. Tickets are $47-$77. More information can be found at GeffenPlayhouse.com.