| November | |
|---|---|
| Written by | David Mamet |
| Characters | President Charles Smith Clarice Bernstein |
| Date premiered | January 17, 2008 (2008-01-17) |
| Place premiered | Ethel Barrymore Theatre New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | A few days before a major presidential election in the Oval Office of the White House |
November is a play written byDavid Mamet which premiered onBroadway in 2008.[1]
November premiered on Broadway at theEthel Barrymore Theatre on December 20, 2007 (previews), officially on January 17, 2008, and closed on July 13, 2008, after 205 performances and 33 previews. The play was directed byJoe Mantello and starredNathan Lane,Laurie Metcalf,Ethan Phillips, Michael Nichols, andDylan Baker.[2][3] Metcalf received aTony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Play.
The New England premiere took place at the Lyric Stage Company of Boston in October 2008, directed by Daniel Gidron.[4]
It premiered atHouston'sAlley Theatre in August 2012, directed by Sanford Robbins.[5]
As part of the streaming series, "Spotlight on Plays", there was a reading of the play to benefit TheActors Fund of America during the Covid19 Pandemic. It was streamed through the YouTube and Facebook accounts of Broadway's Best Shows. The reading starredJohn Malkovich,Patti LuPone,Dylan Baker,Ethan Phillips andMichael Nichols, and was directed byDavid Mamet. It was streamed live on Thursday, May 7th, 2020 at 8pm EST/ 5pm PST.[6]
Billed as a comedy,November centers on President Charles Smith (originally played byNathan Lane) several days before his second election. Metcalf played Clarice Bernstein, Smith's speechwriter, and Baker played Archer Brown, Smith's advisor. Phillips portrayed The Turkey Representative, and Nichols portrayed Indian Chief Dwight Grackle.
The play received mixed reviews.[7]Ben Brantley inThe New York Times wrote that it is a "glib and jaunty new play", and that "Mr. Lane, it goes without saying, knows exactly how to pitch such lines, with a time-honed style that allows him to put the maximum spin on poisonous zingers and still keep the audience on his side."[8]
In a 2017 article forThe Times Literary Supplement, Jaki Mccarrick said ofNovember,Race, andThe Anarchist that "these are state-of-the-nation plays. Each of them is outstanding, and bears Mamet’s trademarks – rhythmic and witty dialogue, erudition, flawless musicality – while being similar in construction and in how their big ideas are explored. They are also sufficiently different to be treated as stand-alone pieces, (though I would be glad to see them performed together)."[9]