An all-female production of Glengarry Glen Ross is heading to London’s Old Vic

Who runs the world? In Beyonce’s version, it’s girls. In reality, it’s unfortunately definitely not girls. Talk about being gaslit. In addition to the actual world, men also dominate in David Mamet’s classic play, Glengarry Glen Ross. Famously an all-male cast depicting the toxic environment of their Chicago workplace, a brand new theatrical production heading to London’s West End will be flipping the gender roles, with an all-female cast taking on the main quartet.

David Mamet’s play is a seminal drama which premiered in 1983, before being adapted into a film in 1992 starring Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, and Kevin Spacey. The play depicts two days following the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in a whole host of unethical and illegal acts to sell real estate to prospective buyers. From lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation, and burglary, the play examines themes of doomed masculinity, faltering morality, and rampant capitalism.

The latest production is heading to London’s Old Vic theatre from 4th June until July 18th, with a series of starry leads. Indira Varma will be taking on the role of Levene – the oldest of the team at the real estate office, formerly a formidable and leading saleswoman who has fallen on hard times. Varma will be joined by American actor Rosa Salazar, who will be playing the leading woman, Roma, a shark of a saleswoman who doesn’t let morals get in the way of success. The rest of the cast includes: Mercedes Bahleda, Nancy Crane, Dorothea Myer-Bennett, Florence Odumosu and Niky Wardley.

The idea of a gender swapped production has been suggested before, with a Broadway run initially rumoured to be doing the same; however, it ultimately didn’t come to fruition. The director behind the Broadway run, Patrick Marber, is the same visionary behind the latest, London run of the play – and clearly he isn’t ready to let the gender blending idea go.

It’s probably not going to be just a simple swapping of the genders, as the testosterone-heavy male-centric nature of the bullying that underpins the play is expected to be tweaked to reflect the nuances and shapeshifting nature that bullying takes on in all-female workplaces. So if you happen to be in a slightly intense workplace yourself, be warned that the tactics and harassment that will probably end up on stage might hit a little close to home…

The play won a Pulitzer Prize during its inaugural run and has been adapted multiple times across different productions. The last time it ran in London was in 2018 at the Playhouse Theatre. Bookings are already open for the production, which kicks off on 4th June 2026. Tickets start at £14.50 for off-peak performances, with the most expensive seats going for around £75.

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