Public and Private Conflicts in ‘Rubicon’

In “Rubicon,” at the Coast Playhouse, playwright Gene Franklin Smith attempts a sophisticated dialectic about the dangers of extremist orthodoxy in politics. Yet overly simplistic characters and a cop-out plot reduce a potentially compelling exchange to polemics.

Sworn in as president after his chief’s untimely death, former Vice President Ethan Whitman (a heartfelt Jon Powell) must deflect a conservative uprising led by ultra-rightist Senate Majority Leader Walter Crush (Dennis Pfister). But Ethan’s most nagging conflict isn’t political. A secret homosexual, Ethan badly wants out of the closet. Ethan’s wife Denyse (an effectively intense Denise Crosby) and his openly gay friend Sen. Lucas Markham (the drolly amusing Michael Kearns) dissuade him from a public avowal--for now.

Although Ethan’s intended candor is admirable, his timing is curious, as is this somewhat trumped-up subplot. However repressed or unhappy this executive in chief might feel, surely the declaration of his sexual orientation would remain secondary to the obligations of his office, especially when he remains the last chance to stem the spate of rising fascism that threatens the country, particularly the homosexual minority.

Director Jenny Sullivan’s initially crisp staging crumbles under the demands of Smith’s sledgehammer plot. By scapegoating widowed first-lady-turned-vice-president Gillian Foster (Pamela Salem) as the root of all political evil, Smith segues into melodrama, conveniently avoiding having to deal with the serious societal issues he has raised.

* “Rubicon,” Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends March 30. $20-$22.50. (213) 650-8507. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.