SYNOPSIS
ACT I
Setting: a Chinese restaurant
Scene 1: Shelley Levene has been in a major slump, and has not made a
sale in some time. He is desperate for money, and knows he will lose
his job soon if he cannot turn things around. He tries in every way
imaginable to convince office Manager John Williamson to give him some
of "the Glengarry leads" (names and phone numbers of promising
potential clients for expensive properties the firm will be selling in
the near future). Williamson adamantly refuses. Levene tries first to
charm Williamson, then to threaten him, and finally to bribe him.
Williamson is willing to sell some of the prime leads, but demands cash
in advance. Levene cannot come up with the cash and must leave without
any good leads to work with.
Scene 2: Dave Moss and George
Aaronow are complaining about Mitch and Murray, the big bosses. They
hate the pressure management has put on them to succeed. Moss tells
Aaronow that they need to strike back at Mitch and Murray by stealing
all the Glengarry leads and selling them to another real estate agency.
Moss's plan would require the hapless Aaronow to break into the office,
stage a burglary, and steal all the prime leads. Aaronow wants no part
of the plan, but Moss intimidates him, saying that Aaronow is already
an accomplice, legally, simply because he listened to the idea.
Scene 3: Ricky Roma delivers a long, disjointed but compelling
monologue to a meek, middle-aged man named James Lingk. Roma does not
bring up the real estate he wants to sell to Lingk until the very end.
Instead, Roma preys upon Lingk's insecurities, and his sense that he
has never done anything adventurous with his life. "When you die,
you'll regret the things you didn't do," Roma tells Lingk, who finds
Ricky spellbinding. Lingk sees in Ricky Roma all the virtues he lacks:
virility, confidence, a sense of adventure. By the time Roma brings out
sales brochures, Lingk is ready to do almost anything to ingratiate
himself with Roma.
ACT II
Setting: a real estate sales office
Someone has broken into the office and stolen everything that wasn't
bolted down, including the Glengarry leads. Williamson has called in a
police detective, who interrogates each salesman behind closed doors,
in Williamson's office. George Aaronow is extremely nervous, and
guilty-looking.
Shelley Levene bursts into the office, looking
deliriously happy, because he has finally sold a large plot of land to
a couple named Nyborg. In his joy, he hardly seems to notice that the
office is in shambles.
A nervous James Lingk enters the
office, looking for Ricky Roma. Lingk's wife has ordered him to cancel
the sales contract he signed with Roma, and under Illinois law, he has
the right to terminate that contract within 72 hours. Lingk asks for
his check to be refunded. Roma tries to stall him, by assuring him the
contract has not been turned in and the check has not yet been cashed.
At this point, John Williamson (who has completely misread the
situation) steps in to reassure Lingk that the contract has been sent
through and the check has been deposited. Horrified, Lingk leaves to
seek redress from the state Attorney General's office.
Ricky
Roma is furious at Williamson, who has blown a big sale and commission
for him. He berates and humiliates Williamson, calling him a "fairy"
and a "cunt" and asking him "who told you you could work with men?"
When Roma is finished, he has to leave to be interviewed by the police
detective. Roma tells Williamson he is oblivious to the way the sales
business works and shouldn't be there. Shelley Levene picks up where
Roma left off, and begins insulting Williamson, telling him what a
stupid mistake it was to lie about turning in the contract and
depositing the check.
Williamson realizes then that Shelley
Levene must have been the thief — only the real thief could have known
that he was lying, because only the real thief could have known that
the contract and the check were sitting on Williamson's desk.
Williamson accuses Levene, and threatens to tell his suspicions to the
police detective. Levene folds, and admits pathetically that he and
Dave Moss were the thieves. Once again, Levene tries to bribe
Williamson by offering him the commission from the Nyborg sale.
Williamson laughs and reveals to Levene that the Nyborgs are "crazy old
folks" who have no money and just enjoy talking to salesmen.
When Roma comes back from his interrogation, Williamson goes to tell
the detective that Moss and Levene are the thieves. Roma, who has no
idea what just went on between Williamson and Levene, proposes to
Levene that they should form their own partnership. Shelley smiles
sadly, and agrees, knowing that he is going to be arrested any moment.
The detective comes out and calls Levene's name. Levene meekly walks
away with the detective.