Farragut North, Beau Willimon’s new play about political corruption, which opened last night at the Atlantic Theater Company offers a reminder of the endless election season we just survived. Tony-winner John Gallagher, Jr., plays Stephen Bellamy, a prodigiously talented 25-year-old press secretary charged with maneuvering a close presidential primary race. He answers to a campaign manager played by Chris Noth, a brusque overseer who descends from a long line of cynical backstage political minds. Olivia Thirlby and Dan Bittney are ambitious interns who use very different means to rise up the ranks. Set against Iowa’s early caucuses, Farragut North weaves a tale of outlandish poll manipulation and behind-the-scenes dealmaking that is, we can only hope, too outrageous to be true. But it’s also a classic tale about a fall from grace, as Stephen becomes a victim of his own ambition, and much of the pleasure of watching the play comes from the schadenfreude of seeing him squirm as he desperately tries to find his footing again. Gallagher plays skillfully against type, his bitterness and misanthropy a stark contrast to his role as the sad, soulful Moritz in Spring Awakening. The sound bites, talking points, and feats of spin will be familiar to anyone who has watched cable news during the last two years, the realism a result of Willimon’s years as a campaign staffer for, among others, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, and Howard Dean. With eight plays under his belt, however, he’s no theatrical neophyte. His talents are obvious in Farragut North, even if the lessons about the evils of politics ambition are nothing new.

Farragut North runs through November 29 at the Atlantic Theater Company.

Photo by Jacqueline Mia Foster

KEYWORDS: politics, theater