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Next In Line

by John Warren
review in SF SF Examiner (Chad Jones)

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"Next In Line" goes behind scenes with portrayal of local politics
by Chad Jones
Local playwright John Warren deserves a vote of confidence. His new play "Next In Line" makes local politics more interesting then, well, local politics.

Set in an undisclosed metropolitan area, Warren chooses to write not about candidates but about the consultants behind the candidates. An instead of writing about some slick, big-time consultant, along the lines of a Dick Morris, Mary Matalin or James Carville, Warren introduces us to a small-time guy on the cusp of becoming a real power broker.

Our first impression of Bobby () is one of hardworking integrity. This is a guy who seems to believe in the people he works for, someone who values loyalty and is actually in the business of politics for the greater good.

Bobby's associate is equally hardworking Erin (superb Nora El Samaly), who may or may not be playing political games with Bobby's clients and opponents.

Struck with the office grunt work is college intern T.J. (Joe Engender), a volunteer who worries about the feng shui of the office as much as he does about political correctness.

Writing with intelligence and humor, Warren is less concerned about showing us the dirty underbelly of politics -- then is in watching success and power affect Bobby and the people around him.

Robert Corrick effectively plays three clients, a shy Water Board candidate, a racist garbage magnate and an old fashioned gentleman aiming for the state assembly. Cheryl Smith plays two key figures: the head of an important disability lobby and an ambitious city councilwoman.

The ensemble is effective in creating the believable rhythms of a small but busy office where phones are constantly ringing and the lack of a coffee maker is sorely felt.

Whizzing by in less than two hours, the play is efficiently staged by Jason Ries on a fantastically realistic office set by Alison Tassie.

EXIT's intimacy

The intimacy of the EXIT on Taylor theater space puts us in right in the heart of that office, and it's a shame the play has an intermission because we're jarred out of the world Warren and his actors have so efficiently conjured.

This is an enjoyable, involving evening, but "Next In Line" still feels like a work in progress.

The play stops a few scenes short of a satisfying ending. As it stands, the play simply stops. Warren indicates certain things about Bobby's once-trustworthy integrity and about idealistic T.J.'s inevitable corruption. But we lose track of Erin, the plays most interesting character.

Part of what makes the "Next" work is that Warren never stops and spells out all the stakes involved. The audience is required to do some work piecing together the loyalties, deceits and plot twists -- and that's a good thing.

That said, it wouldn't hurt to turn up the tension once the play gets rolling. At first, the main conflict is between Bobby and Maxwell (Tom Baxley), the man who taught Bobby everything he knows about being a political consultant. The two friends find themselves pushing competing candidates for the same assembly seat.

Stop Thief

Periodically throughout the two-act play, we see a masked burglar enter the office, snoop around with a flashlight and either steal documents or leave messages for Bobby. At first, the break-ins are intriguing, but by the fourth one, the gimmick has become comic and any mystery or tension has vanished. When we do find out the identity of the burglar, the revelation is anticlimactic.

The major plot doesn't kick in until late in the first act, and the repercussions of that plot line are not fully revealed, merely hinted at, as is the possibility of a surprise romance. Such intrigue makes the abrupt ending seem all the more disappointing.

Even with the unnecessary intermission and the foreshortened second act, "Next In Line" buzzes with energy and activity -- no small accomplishment for a new play that remains refreshingly bright-eyed when dealing with corruption and dirty dealing.

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