Buy a car. Buy a house. Get your oil changed. For every nice salesman you bump into while you’re doing so, there are a hundred sleazeballs working the same job, and chances are you’ll buy something from him. He’s the type of person who seems to take delight in lying, delight in skewing, delight in playing on the fact that most human beings are trusting schmoes.

That very guy is the person David Mamet set out to indict in his 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which opened with gusto last week and runs through Nov. 23 at Penobscot Theatre in Bangor. About a group of real estate agents whose raison d’etre is to grab the best leads, make the most sales and win the incentive Cadillac, this play is a hotbed of sleazeballology. Not only do the men in this dog-eat-dog world sink their teeth into weak-minded clients, but they go for each other’s necks, too. The sad but true fact is that, when you’re on top, you have to defend your position because, otherwise, there’s only one direction to go.

In Mamet’s writerly hand, these bullies are truly unsympathetic. They are bad. And that’s that. As a listener, you may not always find it easy to follow Mamet’s poetic convolutions, which have more in common with jazz than with any real-life vernacular. But you’re likely to genuinely adore listening to Mamet’s rhythm and eloquence. In this way, he is a writer’s playwright. He is also a favorite among actors, who appreciate the opportunities to perform such intricately wrought scenes.

Evidently, Mark Torres, Penobscot Theatre’s artistic director, likes listening to Mamet, too, and does an expert job at shaping the cadences of this show. It snaps, it pops, it explodes and goes silent in a way that leaves you feeling smacked around and then just a titch desperate. You have to know what you’re doing with Mamet, and with very little exception, the actors in this show sell it for all it’s worth.

The first act, which passes the ball among three tables in a Chinese restaurant, introduces the six primary players and their scabrous deals. Ron Adams rightfully makes you want to slap him as the young, arrogant office manager with too much ambition. His table partner is the vociferous Richard Clark, as a washed-up salesman begging for the names of promising customers.

When the light fades on them, it goes up on Robert Libbey as Moss and Kent McKusick as George. Moss, whose work anxiety has peaked, is planning a break-in to the business office and is attempting to hire the timorous George to do the dirty work. Their interaction is the highlight of the show. Not only do they have the Mamet mood down pat, but they also are pros at stage work, and the outcome is funny and upsetting and seamless.

At the next table, John Rahal Sarrouf, as the slimy Roma, and Brian Berry, as the innocent James, don’t ever really take off to the same degree as the other two sets of men. Sarrouf definitely delivers a Roma that is unscrupulous and over the top, but he never quite delivers on charisma — even of the creepy type. He overworks the script by vocally italicizing lines in too actorly a fashion. Berry plays James without much fanfare, and his nervous boyishness easily fades next to the bigness of the portrayals around him.

The second act takes place in the ransacked office, where a policeman, played with full meanness by Ron Lisnet, is questioning each of the agents. This act comes undone with vituperation among the co-workers. It’s Mamet’s darkest writing, a straight view into the souls of men whose manhood is caught in the tricks of capitalism’s false promises.

Some think this is Mamet’s best work, and others might be put off by all the four-letter words spewed with grand irreverence. (It’s safe to say this is not the show you’d want to take the kiddies to.) This is solid adult theater, however, and it’s sure to keep you hopping for the evening. Torres shows himself again to be a deft director who has an ear for humor and an eye for stylized choreography. He is aided smartly by scenic designer Jay Skriletz.

“Glengarry” stands perfectly tall on its own, but I, for one, was disappointed not to find a note from the director in my program. Torres’ letters to the audience are always cogent and friendly and allow some insight into the workings of his artistry. I missed that little perk this time. The new, slickly commercialized programs (which have recently shown up at other arts organizations, too) aren’t half as interesting as they are intended to be. Thankfully, the same is not true of this production.

“Glengarry Glen Ross” will be performed 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m Sunday through Nov. 23 at Penobscot Theatre, 183 Main St. in Bangor. For information, call 942-3333.