Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- David Mamet’s 2008 Oval Office comedy “November” gets a laugh-rich staging at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater that zings -- too gently -- the venality of politicians and their enablers.

President Charles Smith, facing certain defeat in his re- election campaign, is working the phones. On one line is Iran’s representative to talk about the latest crisis. On another is his wife, who wants to know why she can’t keep a White House couch when they move out. Smith leaves Iran on hold, picks up his wife’s call and then another from Barry, his campaign chief.

“Well, who’s to say what’s perjury?” Smith growls as he hangs up on Barry.

The President is bottom-feeding for cash to run TV ads on the final weekend and get back into the race. Luckily for Chuck and his buttoned-down aide, Archer, waiting in the outer office is the lobbyist for the National Association of Turkey and Turkey By-Products Manufacturers, previously a reliable source of contributions.

Turkey Guy wants Smith to break with tradition by pardoning two turkeys instead of one. Never one to miss an opportunity, the President jacks up his asking price from $50,000 to six figures. Turkey Guy balks.

Monster Casino

Perhaps Smith can raise the money instead from Dwight Grackle, the chief of a Massachusetts Indian tribe who wants to build a gigantic casino complex on half of Nantucket Island. Smith wonders whether the chief might offer a testimonial saying the Indians at the original Thanksgiving dinner served tuna to the Pilgrims instead of turkey.

Or could a last-minute address to the nation save Smith’s neck? Speechwriter Clarice Bernstein has been out of pocket since she and her girlfriend went to China to adopt a baby. Jet- lagged and sniffling with the flu, she’s ordered to work up a speech. Her price, she says, is that Smith marry her and the girlfriend on national TV.

“November” plays out like a sitcom, more focused on scoring laughs with one-liners than making bigger satirical points about D.C. culture. It’s closer to Mamet’s recent lightweight farce “Keep Your Pantheon” than to his fiercer satires like “Speed- the-Plow.”

For this West Coast premiere, Smith (played on Broadway by Nathan Lane) is portrayed by Andrew Polk. He’s too clean-cut for the part and lacks the necessary smarminess to do full justice to the role. He’s closer to Gerald Ford than Richard Nixon or George W. Bush.

Anthony Fusco as cynical Archer Brown, Manoel Felciano as Turkey Guy, Rene Augesen as the innocent Bernstein and Steven Anthony Jones in a terrific performance as Grackle are all fine. Complemented by a handsome, cream-colored Oval Office set by Eric Flatmo and staged by the veteran Ron Lagomarsino, the show clocks in at less than two hours. It never drags, but it never quite goes for the jugular, either.

Through Nov. 22 at 415 Geary St. Information: +1-415-749- 2228; http://www.act-sf.org. Rating: **1/2

What the Stars Mean:
****       Do Not Miss
***        Excellent
**         Good
*          Poor
(No stars) Worthless

(Stephen West is an editor for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Stephen West in San Francisco at smwest@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 3, 2009 00:00 EST