Nathan Lane Goes Straight. Laurie Metcalf Goes Crooked. Dylan Baker Comes Down From the Mountain. David Mamet’s play “November” Might be a Turkey!
What a comedy! Nathan Lane as the President of the United States cum extortionist. Laugh a minute.
Not.
November, written by David Mamet, author, essayist, screenwriter, film director and, for the past few years, cartoonist, opened last night in previews at the Ethel Barrymoore Theatre in New York City. There I was, hunkered down in a $98.00 aisle seat (for a “f”ing preview, as Mamet might put it) in the second-to-last row, orchestra, next to someone whom I didn’t know and who, thank goodness, displayed exceptional taste by joining me in never laughing. “Maybe all these hyenas are ringers and/or friends of the playwright,” mused I, under my breath.
I think I “get” that the play was very tongue-in-cheek. After all, Playbill, which listed all the major players in November and their credentials, described Mamet as being “better known as a cartoonist.” Frankly, I found it painful and embarrassing as, yes, an American, to watch my president, Charles H.B Smith, being portrayed as such an ignoramus and so…venal.
Yet, people laughed. Hahahahahaha. Guffaw. Guffaw. Guffaw. Slap that knee!
Mamet, whose “works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue, arcane stylized phrasing, and their exploration of masculinity,” per Wikipedia, chose Nathan Lane (not exactly known for his screaming heterosexuality) to play the president. And because every contemporary play these days seems to include the obligatory homosexual character (the better to fill the seats in New York City, my dear), Laurie Metcalf (immediately recognizable from “Roseanne” on TV) plays a lesbian speech writer with a truly bad cold. Very “knowing” laughs in the audience when Metcalf’s character innocently asks the president if he’s ever had a homosexual experience. And guess who else showed up playing a legal advisor to the president? John Boy’s younger brother, down from Walton’s Mountain, the ramrod straight Dylan Baker. (He just can’t get away from that mountain, even if it is not mentioned as a credential in Playbill!)
Forty-five minutes later at intermission I rendezvoused with my Australian friend (who sat just a few rows back from the stage) in the lobby. “How funny do you think this play is?” On a scale of 1-10, my friend gave it a 6. We watched two couples put their coats on and leave. Uh oh.
Intermission over, I returned to my seat and carefully arranged my long legs in the aisle so as not to crowd that quiet fellow sitting next to me. Being the chatty, friendly sort, though, I inquired, “Gosh, are you and I the only ones who don’t find this play funny?” No response. “Do you find it funny?” I pressed. “Yes!” he replied, adamantly. Well, excuse me!
Actually, Act II was somewhat funnier than the first, though it smacked more than a little of gay “agenda.”
Despite being put off by the material, I must say I thought the actors were terrific. (Sorry, Dylan, about that reference to Walton’s Mountain. I just couldn’t resist!) Likewise, the set of the Oval Office was stunning. There was a very “wooden” Indian involved, played by Michael Nichols, and a very believable and sympathetic object of extortion, the actor, Ethan Phillips.
That everyone could memorize all that dialogue amazes me, even if, as my Australian friend remarked, she wouldn’t be able to recommend the play due to all the naughty words. (She hadn’t seen Mamet’s, Glengary Glenn Ross, compared to which “November” comes off as almost tame.) And, of course, previews are all about revision, so it was no surprise that people in the row right behind me were taking notes and critiquing the lighting.
Another forty-five minutes later, standing ovation! Clap, clap, clap. Two curtain calls, though the curtain didn’t come down, of course. Stage lights on. Lights off. Lights on. Lights off.
It wasn’t until I began surfing the net last night looking at images of Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, Dylan Baker and David Mamet that I suddenly realized the guy I sat next to looked a lot like Mamet!
Oops.
December 21st, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Oh, Wicked Witch of Publishing. You’ve done it again.
December 21st, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Haha! That’s hilarious.
It’s almost like a play or something.
December 21st, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Here, when we lampoon our politicians, we’re not subtle.
And our politicans often play themselves.
Merry Christmas, Lynne.
December 21st, 2007 at 3:25 pm
“How to win friends, and influence people.”…LOL…but not playwrights!
Merry Christmas..and remember…Jesus is the Reason For The Season!
December 21st, 2007 at 4:06 pm
… so glad I declined your invitation to join you; it doesn’t sound riveting…….. I wonder if that WAS Mamet sitting alongside you? (Don’t expect any press passes to his future productions if so….) Merry Christmas Wicked Witch! Who are you going to alienate in 2008 I wonder…..?
December 21st, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Lord, please don’t give me another writer noted for “clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue, arcane stylized phrasing, and their exploration of masculinity.” Did they all go to the same school?
I think you missed the point—like reading James Joyce, you have to profess to be wildly entertained by this yawn-provoking claptrap so you can make it through the cheese and wine set Sunday night.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:31 pm
I think the show was just disgusting. I could’ve heard all those dialogues just staying in the subway train for 2 bucks. I was sitting in the orchestra second row, some people around me were falling asleep, others yawning; I did not notice anyone around me laughing. One gentleman behind me said, that at least he got a nice cigar for the night.
December 22nd, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Yes indeed, a very happy Christmas to you.
As for the play— would I have fallen asleep I wonder?
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Maxine Clarke is a mega-blogger. She authors seven blogs, mostly about her love of books, publishing, and the writing world. Petrona is her personal blog, which shares the life and thoughts of a mother of two living in the South of England. Maxine has been a science journal editor for most of her working life.
December 22nd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I’m always amazed at how great your postings are!
Happy holidays.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Hi, Arlene. Thanks for dropping by from East Hampton.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:02 pm
If it was Mamet, that would explain why he wasn’t laughing. Lane is a curious choice, but I guess if you can get him for anything on Broadway, you take him.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Well, it was strange that this man was sitting alone, one in from the aisle. Usually, in that situation, people are very pleasant to each other, but not this time. I got the message loud and clear that he did not want to be disturbed.
December 24th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Although I like Mamet when he’s on—say “The Untouchables” for instance—I think he can be pretty uneven—”The
Edge” I think it was, with Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin stranded in Alaska being chased by a bear. Although I wouldn’t say it was bad, it was sort of David Mamet and “My Boyhood Fantasy.”
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Mark writes thrillers about biological and chemical warfare. He lives in Detroit, Michigan.
December 24th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Was it not funny to you because the material offended your sensibilities or because it wasn’t funny? Don’t get me wrong, it does sound trite and hackneyed, but come on, why is the ‘gay’ material so ‘off-putting’ to you? Why is it an ‘agenda’ and why is the regular appearance of a gay or lesbian in a play or show is obligatory? I mean, imagine those people—they only write, act in, compose music for and perform so much stage work and musical theatre that you can’t imagine what the theater would be without them—imagine they then have the nerve to make regular appearances (being gay and lesbian all in our faces) in seemingly every play that pops up these days! Wasn’t it better when all the characters were straight and it was obligatory to just ignore that gays and lesbians existed all together? Well, yes I should say it was. Why wasn’t Angels in America enough for them? Why can’t they just stay out of the picture and let us not think about them for a couple of hours in the theater. I mean do you people have to remind me of how uncomfortable I am with your ‘agenda’? I mean Nathan Lane playing straight? God, couldn’t they have given the role to someone macho and presidential? I mean its okay for straight men to play gay (infuse them with a little manliness you know)–like those two in Brokeback Mountain, or Tom Hanks, gosh, we even gave the guy an Oscar for dancing with his boyfriend like it was his sister, (in fact we give all the plum gay roles to straights. But if you want my private opinion, if you’re a straight actor playing gay or lesbian you’ve gone crooked. Hey, but that’s just my opinion.)
Come on Lynne, I appreciate your site and you’re resourcefulness, but you’ll never get to be an honorary Lesbian with comments like that…
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Hi, John. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. I did not find the play particularly funny. In fact, David Mamet’s November felt contrived and forced from the first inane exchange that took place via telephone between the president and his wife. And I think if you see November, you’ll understand what I mean about the sudden change in tone, direction and subject matter in the second act. It was not offensive, but it was jarring relative to what the play seemed to be about in the first act. If you do get a chance to see the play, let me know what you think. I’m being a little vague on purpose because I don’t want to give away too much of the storyline and spoil it for people who are buying tickets and may not agree with me.
December 26th, 2007 at 11:46 am
That is just too perfect.
Mr. Mamet has a very distinctive voice. You can hear him on Youtube,
(click here)
which might confirm the identity of the man fortunate enough to share your conversation.
Do please let us know.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Staghounds
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing (TM): Yep, same short hair cut, same stocky build. (Cringe…)
December 27th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
You mean that every new play doesn’t get a first run in Chicago before hitting Broadway? I never even heard of this play. Wow Mr. Mamet must have friends with very deep pockets. (Smile). But wait - where’s my dose of trivia? When was the last time a non-musical comedy appeared on Broadway? Happy Holidays. Have a wonderful and prosperous 2008!!!
January 4th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I love it.
That’s probably the first time in years he’s heard the truth.
My best wishes for 2008.
January 4th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
The witty wicked witch warns me off this play….
Can’t wait for the next review.
January 19th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Long, but tepid, review in The New York Times this week. Not enough to discourage advertisers, but perhaps enough to give a theater-goer pause.
January 20th, 2008 at 4:34 am
Happy birthday, gorgeous!!
January 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
“Instead of wit and fury, we get gags and grimaces. Instead of humor so daring that critics have been known to bite their own lips to maintain decorum, the comedy is so eager-to-please that we strain to hear Mamet’s voice beyond the punch lines.”
Linda Winer at Newday.com on January 18th, 20078
January 27th, 2008 at 10:04 am
In the full-page ad for November today in The New York Times, Ben Brantley is quoted as calling November “A laugh machine…” In the original review of November, here is what Brantley also wrote:
“You may have been wondering just how all those gagmeisters who make their livings contributing jokes to television talk show monologues and sketch reviews have been occupying their time during the long-lived writers’ strike. Well, one possibility would be that they have been funneling their one-liners — and not always their best ones — directly to David Mamet.”
January 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
“The premise of “November” couldn’t be more stupid or tossed off…”
Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune
January 27th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Maybe we didn’t see the same play?
“But this jubilant political comedy at the Barrymore delivers impressive returns by two methods that never seem in abundant-enough supply: bipartisanship and Nathan Lane.”
Review by Mathew Murray of Broadway Reviews
January 27th, 2008 at 10:23 am
This review is basically a long “spoiler” synopsis of the play.
“Mamet’s new Oval Office satire, “November” (well directed by Joe Mantello, at the Ethel Barrymore), is a hilarious demonstration of the fact that we live in an age of equality: all classes are criminal.”
John Lahr, Critic for The New Yorker