November

Silly political profanity...
which I always enjoy :)

David Mamet has thrown us some riveting and griping plays (Glenn Gary, Glenn Ross) but he occasionally flits over to the comedy genre with mixed results. November is his latest Broadway play and the stage is filled with a fine cast. Nathan Lane plays lame-duck President Smith the last waning days of his very unpopular tenure. Desperate to at least fill his campaign coffers or at least get enough cash to build his presidential library. Dylan Baker is his loyal assistant who also tend to be brutally blunt about the President's predicament. Laurie Metcalf completes the political menage-a-trois as the lesbian speech writer. Throw in a turkey rep and a tribal chief and the stage is set for an absurdly goofy time. Lane has a chewy goof time as he punches and growls out some good jokes like a prize winning bulldog. Metcalf brings great physicality to her exaggerated character which the role demands since her lines demand less theatrics while her looks and reactions easily delivered laughs. Given that I hadn't seen Baker in many humorous roles, I was really impressed at his dry and sharp delivery of the 'observant' wit; this character doesn't say what an ass-kissing aide would say but what the audience (and voters) wish they could say. Watching Baker holds his reaction after a crazy Lane move; it reminded me of classic straight-men and how their startled-faced looks were more funny than the funnyman's joke. The plot really isn't one; it is more a series of goofy scenarios and pratfalls - pressure to pardon turkeys, a wedding dress, an oval office scuffle. Don't expect brain fodder and you'll be better prepared for enjoyment from this fun sardonic political piece of chewing gum. Oh, and you'll have fun counting the number of f-words in this one.