Playwright: David Mamet
Director: Joe Mantello
Synopsis: A contemporary comedy about a president named Charles Smith and is set a few days before the election, in which he is running as an incumbent. The action unfolds over one day and involves civil marriage, gambling casinos, lesbians, American Indians, presidential libraries, questionable pardons and campaign contributions.
NEW YORK TIMES:
"Despite the thick swarm of obscenities that are de rigueur in a Mamet play, there’s nothing remotely shocking about 'November.' If the play had been acted in the old Mamet tradition of louts stewing broodingly in homicidal rage and exasperation, it would probably be more unsettling when the president disgorges racist, sexist and xenophobic diatribes."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
"It's called 'November' but this shrill and high-decibel comedy directed by Joe Mantello could have easily been called "The Wild, Wild West Wing." & "In the past Mamet's work has been incisive, powerful and realistic. Here he goes for an easy, well-worn target and obvious setup: America's highest office is held by a low-life thug... It's so broad that 'November' is a satire with a big mouth but no bite. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"Wth a masterly sleight of hand, Nathan Lane turns slightness into giddy fun." & "There's not much to "November," but it's certainly not the cruelest month. Actually, it's empty-headed political fun, "Saturday Night Live" at its liveliest."
Read the whole review HERE.
TIME OUT NY:
"Though sporadically amusing, November ultimately seems like an exercise in cynical apathy: a political comedy that, for all its profligate profanity, doesn’t give a fuck about anything"
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USA TODAY:
"This is, after all, a David Mamet play, so we shouldn't be shocked by President Smith's potty mouth, or his general harshness in speaking to and about others. What may surprise some fans is how breezy and ultimately tame this satire is." & "Mamet's punch-line-packed script is zestfully directed by Joe Mantello and served by a first-rate cast. Lane's timing and expressions are impeccable, whether Smith is having a fit or suppressing a smirk. Laurie Metcalf and Dylan Baker match and enhance the leading man's witty efficiency as the speechwriter and chief of staff. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEWSDAY:
"Take away the gleeful dirty talk and sneak a peak under the exuberantly shameless scams and ... or, on second thought, don't do that. Without the cavalcade of forbidden words and a lingering hope of subversive surprise, there is almost nothing that would identify 'November' as the work of David Mamet."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK SUN:
"Sneaky and scabrously funny "November," he has crafted a gimlet-eyed parable of losing, of resignation — not the Nixon-on-the-lawn flameout variety, but the subtler, quieter type." & "Mr. Mamet's exorbitantly incompetent commander in chief, is played by Nathan Lane, who once again shows himself to be Broadway's most fearless and unerring stage comedian on a decibel-for-decibel level."
Read the whole review HERE.
ASSOCIATED PRESS:
"You might be forgiven for thinking that Nathan Lane was shot out of a cannon when the curtain rises on 'November,' David Mamet's maniacally funny new comedy now producing waves of laughter." & "The cleverly jumbled plot, ... demands comic actors at the top of their form. The cast, which also includes Laurie Metcalf and Dylan Baker, deftly navigates its way through the thicket of laughs, nailing every one. "
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"As much as Mamet's work, it's also "The Nathan Lane Show," providing the actor with his best comic showcase since "The Producers." As widely despised president Charles H.P. Smith, Lane keeps the comedy buoyant with his high-energy turn, balancing unapologetic brashness and boldfaced shysterism with a deluded sense of his own martyrdom. "
Read the whole review HERE.
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