Connor Killeen Tom Alper, Joey Russo, and Mario Corry Photo by Adam Smith Jr.

And as if to prove the point, the first thing we see as the lights go up on director Mike Keller's New York transfer at The Actors Temple Theatre is an aggressively-minded salesman standing downstage center, legs apart, closing a deal with his right hand pressing a phone to his ear while his left hand fondles his crotch.

And perhaps... perhaps... if Alper's play had premiered in 1983, as did Mamet's Pulitzer-winner, it could have been seen more effectively as a contemporary reflection of the testosterone-driven crassness and deceit that propelled a certain breed of male to use less-than-honorable techniques to achieve a sense of, what Tom Wolfe would describe in his 1987 "Bonfire Of The Vanities," being Master of the Universe.

But while the business culture of the all-boys club jargoned in locker-room talk certainly hasn't diminished in 2025, The Pitch doesn't seem to have anything new, or even specific, to say on the subject.

Set in 2006, The Pitch is based on Alper's real life experience working in a high-pressure sales office while raising his daughter after a divorce. He even plays the lead character, also named Tom, a widower whose gambling addiction has left him desperate for work to support his 15-year-old daughter.

In the play's best scene, Tom tries to discourage Michelle (Sammi O'Connor) from her passion for high school cheerleading–an activity that's loaded with extra expenses–and steer her toward softball, which could help her get a college scholarship. Though Michelle is proud of the difficult skills she masters as a cheerleader, Tom sees it as his daughter cheering on others when she should be shining in her own light.

Tom has yet to shine in his new job at Nexys International Components, a hole-in-the-wall phone center in Torrance, California that distributes electronics nationally, primarily by cold-calling leads. Set and lighting designer Josh Iacovelli appropriately jams the small, overcrowded space with desks, and there's a couple of reminders that this is a culture that admires President George W. Bush. It's unclear why the logo of Japan's Nexus company is displayed prominently on the wall.

The business is owned by the fatherly Mike (Joe Lorenzo), who enjoys springing for staff outings of bowling and beers, but staying employed depends on an individual's ability to generate sales, and the prominently displayed leader board is a constant reminder that Skunk (Joey Russo, very good as an unapologetic embodiment of id) is by far the company's top seller.

Skunk advises Tom to ditch the scripted sales pitch they're all supposed to follow ("It's complete bullshit. Say whatever you want, as long as you get the sale.") and earn big bucks by learning how to flirt with women buyers. ("They're your treasure map to gold. Easy marks. Just like in the real world, all you gotta do is flatter them, pretend like you're interested in what they're talking about and they'll do whatever the fuck you want!")

Tom eventually learns the ropes and Julie Tran has an entertaining cameo as a customer he seduces into a big sale.

But the parts offered by Nexys aren't always of the high quality customers are led to believe they'll be getting, or even safe in their typical use in airplanes, smoke detectors and defibrillators, so when an Internal Revenue Service agent (Phil Hendrie) discovers false information on Tom's returns, he offers to disregard it in exchange for inside dope that can bring the company down.

Even if the dialogue was taken word-for-word from Alper's experiences, the frat house atmosphere of the workplace seems too over the top to be believable. Even outside of the Nexys office, there are two moments that seriously stretch the limits of credibility when adult men make sexual remarks regarding Tom's daughter right in front of him.

If The Pitch is meant to be satirical, it isn't sharp enough, and its twist ending suggests the boys are meant to be seen as just a bunch of loveable rascals.

A press release quotes Alper saying, "I tried using sales tactics on my daughter and quickly realized I had to deal with who I was becoming. This play became my way of reclaiming my voice, and hers." If that's the main theme the playwright wants to get across, The Pitch can use less time in the workplace and further development of that father/daughter relationship. There are a couple of exchanges about how, as a softball pitcher, Michelle is especially adept at throwing a change-up, but it's not explained how this is a pitch meant to throw off a batter's timing by being slower than it first appears. Perhaps somewhere in the relationship between a sales pitch and a softball pitch lies the heart and empathy that would make The Pitch a deeper and more meaningful play.