Hampton Theatre Company Taking On Political Comedy For 2016-2017 Debut

David Mamet’s November will open the 2016-2017 season at the Hampton Theatre Company (HTC).

November is a hysterical take on fictional U.S. President Charles Smith and the days leading up to the election. The odds are not in his favor, with the candidate’s ratings close to zero and Smith’s motives tending to be corrupt and self-centered. On top of his maladaptive tendencies, his wife is preparing to leave him and he is out of money. Through all of this, Smith remains persistent and stays hopeful once a representative from Turkey comes to the White House seeking his pardon of the Thanksgiving turkey. His chief of staff, speechwriter, and chief of the Micmac Nation will need to stand by their chief of state and help him get through these rough times.

Andrew Botsford, Rebecca Edana, Matthew O’Connor and Matthew Conlon. (Photo: Tom Kochie)

Although November debuted originally on Broadway in 2008, the plot maintains relevancy in modern day politics and with the upcoming election. Mamet’s production style knows no boundaries and will surely provoke laughter and poke fun at the self-centeredness and power-hunger attitude that plagues many politicians to this day. The Broadway production of Mamet’s November was a success and evoked positive responses from critics such as The Guardian (London) and The New Yorker describing it as “a raucous comedy.” Mamet is not a newcomer to acclaims of his work. In the 80s, he produced Glengarry Glen Ross winning him both the coveted Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, a huge feat for a playwright. After bringing his success to the big screen, he was nominated for an Academy Award, another incredible accomplishment for Mamet.

There will be four returning HTC actors and one newbie making up the cast of Mamet’s production. His script will be brought to life by the five talented actors, Andre Botsford, Matthew Conlon, Rebecca Edana, Matthew O’Connor and Rob Byrnes, along with the artistic director, Diana Marbury, set designer, Sean Marbury, lighting designer, Sebastian Paczynski, and costumes by Tera Lebrun. Together, the actors, designers, and directors will surely satisfy Mamet’s characteristic style for his plays, consisting of rapid-fire dialogue and rhythm with an underlying dark theme.

Matthew Conlon, Andrew Botsford and Rebecca Edana. (Photo: Tom Kochie)

November will debut at the Quogue Community Hall on Thursday, October 20st and run through Tuesday, November 6th, with shows every Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, November 5th, there will be an additional matinee performance at 2:30 p.m.

Regular priced tickets cost $30 each, but dinner and theater packages will be available for purchase as well.

Quogue Community Hall is located at 125 Jessup Avenue in Quogue. For more information call 1-866-811-4111 or visit hamptontheatre.org.