''Mastergate'' is a play by

Larry Gelbart Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series '' M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the ...

, which he describes as "A Play On Words". The title refers to a fictional political scandal enacted on "Master Pictures Studios", a fictional movie company that is actually a cover for arms trading. The title of the play also references other real-life political scandals, such as

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...

and others subsequently given the suffix

-gate This is a list of scandals or controversies whose names include a ''-gate'' suffix, by analogy with the Watergate scandal, as well as other incidents to which the suffix has (often facetiously) been applied. This list also includes controversi ...

Plot summary

The play is set in the Sherman Adams Room at the John Mitchell Building in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The "Select Joint Congressional Committee Investigating Alleged Covert Arms Assistance to Alleged Other Americas" investigates the CIA's attempt to divert arms to Central American guerrillas through a motion picture company's high-budget action film, entitled "Tet." (a reference to the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...

) ''Mastergate'' is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

on congressional investigative committee hearings that took place during the

McCarthy Era McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage in the United S ...

, on the Watergate investigation, and on the Iran-Contra affair. In his opening address, the chairman explains that the purpose of the hearings is to find out what the president knew and if he had any idea of the affair. The satire employs many aspects of rhetoric and word-play, including puns, malapropism, mixed metaphors, Tautology (rhetoric), tautology and Washington double-speak. The playwright said of his work that it is "First and foremost...a play about language. It's not for me to discover that politicians are corrupt or full of hot air. It's really about what they and television have done to the way we speak and the way we listen." The play uncovers aspects of the absurd in the working life of government employees; for example, it portrays a non-meeting, a non-discussion, and people being present in the minutes of the meeting despite not attending. It has been argued that several of the characters have real-life counterparts, for example, Major Manley Battle may be based on Oliver North.

Characters

* ''The committee:'' ** Merry Chase, a reporter for TNN (Total Network News) ** Archer Bowman, the committee chairman ** Oral Proctor, a congressman who had been elected for thirty terms ** Shepherd Hunter, the chief general counsel for the Combined Permanent Sub-Committee ** Representative Byers ** Senator Knight ** Representative Sellers *''The witnesses:'' ** Stuart Butler, a Department of Justice employee and acting assistant to the acting assistant deputy attorney general ** Foster Child, Butler’s attorney of the fictional law firm 'Prior, Pastor, Priest and Pope' ** Senator Abel Lamb ** Nat Picker, his attorney of the fictional law firm 'Block, Stall, Wilde and Wilder' ** Courtleigh Bishop, Secretary of State ** Major Manley Battle ** Lance Boyle, Battle’s attorney ** Vice President Dale Burden ** Wily Slaughter, director of the CIA

Performance History

''Original Broadway Run''
Criterion Centre Stage Right
First Preview: September 22, 1989
Opening Date: October 12, 1989
Closing Date: December 10, 1989
Previews: 23
Performances: 69 ''Original Production Credits''
Larry Gelbart ''Writer''
Michael Engler ''Director''
Philipp Jung ''Scenic Design''
Candice Donnelly ''Costume Design''
Stephen Strawbridge ''Lighting Design''
Marc Salzberg ''Sound Design'' The play was filmed for television in 1992. The production used the Emerald Room of the Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles as a backdrop to the hearings. The play was recorded by L.A. Theatre Works during their 1991-1992 season with a cast including Walter Matthau and Harold Gould.

Reviews of ''Mastergate''

Positive reviews included that of Jack Kroll in ''Newsweek'', who wrote, "If George Orwell were a gag writer, he could have written ''Mastergate''. Larry Gelbart's scathingly funny takeoff on the Iran-Contra hearings is a spiky cactus flower in the desert of American political theatre." Similarly, Frank Rich of ''The New York Times'' wrote, "When ''Mastergate'' is funny, it is very funny. When it is not, it still stands up for a patriotic integrity beyond the understanding of the clowns who parade across its national stage." By contrast, Howard Kissel of the ''Daily News'', wrote "If you think the title is funny, you'll probably enjoy ''Mastergate.'' If you find it adolescent, which I'm afraid I do, stay home and read Mark Twain on politics." Likewise, Linda Winer of ''Newsday'' wrote, "''Mastergate'' is a one-joke extended sketch that, unfortunately, never manages the leap to dramatic - much less philosophical - revelation of much we didn't already know. Nevertheless, the joke is a very good one, performed with deadpan delight by deft imitators."

Awards

* Outer Critics Circle 1990 Special Award: Larry Gelbart - (Winner) * 1990 Theatre World Award: Daniel von Bargen - (Winner)

Adaptation

A film was made in 1992 based on the play. The film was directed by Michael Engler and written by

and produced by David Jablin.

Cast

Main

* Tim Reid as Chip Chatworth * Marcia Strassman as Merry Chase * Buck Henry as Clay Fielder * Richard Kiley as Archer Bowman * Ed Begley Jr. as Steward Butler * David Ogden Stiers as Shepherd Hunter * Henry Jones (actor), Henry Jones as Oral Proctor * Bruno Kirby as Abel Lamb * Jerry Orbach as Clifton Byers * Ken Howard as Courtleigh Bishop * Pat Morita as Kevin Naito * James Coburn as Major Manley Battle * Darren McGavin as Folsom Bunting * Robert Guillaume as Sydley Sellers * Dennis Weaver as V.P. Dale Burden * Burgess Meredith as Wiley Slaughter

Supporting

* Mark L. Taylor as Foster Child * Ron Vawter as Nat Picker * Louis Giambalvo as Lance Boil * Ben Stein as Marvin Rotweiler * Hy Averback as TNN announcer * Lynn Sellers as Mrs. Abel Lamb

References

{{reflist, 30em Political drama Plays set in the United States Works by Larry Gelbart