The Orator & the Interview

[Wjames]

Before the crowd
had formed before
the ticket counter,
he spoke to a mirror
in his parent's basement
washroom.

His monologue was a condensed
reflection on the human condition,
a Shakespearean dissection
replete with suffering, melodrama,
and tribulation:

"Do you like to play chess, Mr. Abernathy?

I'm not all that good, but I love it
when two bucks smack horns
until one is pinned, and a queen is taken.

Have you ever peered into the eyes
of a pinned buck, Mr. Abernathy?

They look away immediately,
too submissive to challenge
a simple glance.

In any case, Mr. Abernathy,
I'm in need of a job.

What do you say?"

[CRNDLSM]

Before the crowd I like the intro because of where an orator would stand
had formed before not crazy about this second before
the ticket counter,
he spoke to a mirror nice set up though with line breaks
in his parent's basement
washroom.daydreaming? Basements have washrooms? I'm already picturing Robert deniro in King Of Comedy

His monologue was a condensed I'd remove 'a' It cuddles the line break for me
reflection on the human condition,
a Shakespearean dissection interesting
replete with suffering, melodrama,replete good word
and tribulation:these three things to me all seem the same thing, maybe no 'and' here 

"Do you like to play chess, Mr. Abernathy? Close quotation?

I'm not all that good, but I love it oh this is the same speaker, wait is he still alone in the washroom? Was he alone? Is this the Shakespearean dissection?
when two bucks smack horns
until one is pinned, and a queen is taken.deer and chess I don't see fitting together, though I like both images separately 

Have you ever peered into the eyes
of a pinned buck, Mr. Abernathy?pinned? Shot and dying?

They look away immediately,
too submissive to challenge
a simple glance. Universal observation

In any case, Mr. Abernathy,
I'm in need of a job. Ticket counter? Who's the buck? I picture someone psyching themself up for a job interview and kind of intimidating tone by repeating the man's last name and emphasizing chess and bucks, but altogether I feel some lacking

What do you say?" I want some revolution back to the beginning or response from Abernathy, resolution.  Anyways your writing style is very engaging.

[rose]

Before the crowd
had formed before I agree that the second before is a bit repetative
the ticket counter,
he spoke to a mirror
in his parent's basement
washroom. I love the scene you set here. The mirror in his parents basement is so hidden which makes me think the speaker is hiding from the world and himself. 

His monologue was a condensed
reflection on the human condition,
a Shakespearean dissection
replete with suffering, melodrama, Great rhythm here
and tribulation:

"Do you like to play chess, Mr. Abernathy? I'm not sure if you need the quotation marks

I'm not all that good, but I love it
when two bucks smack horns
until one is pinned, and a queen is taken. Make it more clear that the bucks are chess pieces, and that chess is a game of life. It took me some rereading to find any connection between the two topics. 

Have you ever peered into the eyes
of a pinned buck, Mr. Abernathy?

They look away immediately,
too submissive to challenge
a simple glance.

In any case, Mr. Abernathy,
I'm in need of a job. How does a job relate to chess or bucks, and the human condition?

What do you say?" I like how you end on a question, however I am not sure what the question is asking on a larger picture. Try stepping back and considering what you want to leave the reader thinking about after they read your poem. Also, I'm a bit confused with the dialog. What is it getting at and what is the scene it depicts?

Great job overall. I love your word choice, line breaks and the flow of the poem. 

[Knot]

Hi wjames

I like the idea and the character sketch of the 'orator'
(though it's a big word to have in the title and
I don't think the piece really follows through sufficiently.)
My problem is that I can't relate the 'conversation'
chess/bucks to anything else in the piece.
It feels like it's a separate thing entirely.

I see you've had some suggestions about removing one of
the 'befores' in the opening stanza.
So, just to give you something different to think about,
I'll suggest adding another:  As in
Before the crowd
had formed before
the ticket counter,
he spoke [before the] mirror
in his parent's basement
washroom.
(It also occurred to me that you could alternate them before/in front of/before/...

I agree with CRNDLSM
suffering, melodrama,
and tribulation
seem to be essentially the same thing (certainly tribulation and suffering),
and I think they are rather at odds with 'dissection'.
You might make the case for 'disquisition' but I think dissection
leads towards the manner/approach of the monologue, not its subject.
So it might be
a Shakespearean dissection
replete with
compassion/insight/mercy/intelligence/wit/honesty/...

I like how it ends with a question, so here's mine
What job is he applying for?

Best, Knot.