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REVIEW: "November" by Theatre Pops
Published: 11/9/2012 10:13 PM
Last Modified: 11/9/2012 10:13 PM

Every thing that one might imagine as being wrong about any person who might occupy the office of President of the United States can be found in the character of Charles P. Smith, the man at the center of David Mamet's comedy "November."

Smith is arrogant, clueless, profane, greedy, venal, vengeful, corrupt, an empty suit whose only concern is hanging on to the perks and paycheck of a job he really doesn't like.

And as portrayed by Mike Pryor in Theatre Pops' production of this satirical fantasy, President Smith is at his best when acting at his worst.

"November" covers a day in the life of the Oval Office, about a week before the election, and it's obvious to everyone but Smith that a second term is not going to happen.

The First Lady is wanting to know which pieces of White House furniture she can take with her. The Secret Service is taking much of the day off for sensitivity training. The plane that Smith employs to whisk people he doesn't like to a less than pleasant fate in some remote region of Bulgaria has been spotted by journalists. A chance comment nearly sparks war in the Middle East.

But what Smith considers the most grievous crisis is that his re-election committee is allocating only a few thousand dollars to TV ads in the week to come.

Smith wants money, and the only source he can come up with is to shake down the representative of the National Association of Turkey and Turkey By-Products Manufacturers (David Virili), who has shown up with a couple of birds to be "pardoned"
by the president in advance of Thanksgiving.

Smith also wants some kind of a speech that will re-invigorate his dormant re-election hopes, but his speechwriter (Lisa Cole) won't deliver until Smith agrees to officiate at her wedding to her partner Daisy –– on live television, right before he pardons the turkeys.

"November" the play has its problems –– the moments when the acid humor gets diluted by something that almost resembles the milk of human kindness are the ones that do not ring true. Once Smith turns his attention to anything other than his own base needs, the play's comic energy sags.

Yet director Randall Whalen and his cast endeavor to do all they can to smooth the play through these less than easy transitions, with performances that –– no matter how outrageous the situation –– hew as closely as possible to the party line of naturalism.

Pryor is very much the body and soul of this play – Smith is on stage throughout all three acts, and must deliver a series of monologues and rants, from one-sided phone conversations to tirades aimed at anyone who will listen. It's to Pryor's great credit that these speeches flow with almost casual ease. The language of "November" isn't as stylized as some of Mamet's work, but it still has a unique music to it that Pryor sings convincingly.

John Burns, as the president's lone adviser and confidante Archer, is the cynical, exhausted, but stalwart voice of reason in the midst of this political chaos.

The other cast members –– Cole, Virili and Charles Kevin Smith as the misguidedly vengeful head of an Indian nation that wants to annex the island of Nantucket –– have narrowly described characters that they fill out as best they can. "November" is a kind of verbal farce, so it's understandable that its characters aren't all that deep or complicated.

And while "November" paints its satire with the broadest possible strokes, it also contains enough bitter truth that, even when the things said and done are –– we hope –– beyond the pale, they possess the scary ring of plausibility.

"November" continues with performances at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Tulsa PAC,, 110 E.Second St. For tickets, 918-596-7111 or tulsaword.com/mytix.



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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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