Ensemble Theatre Festival
Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan

Dates and Venue July 6 - August 8, 2015 at 8pm (three shows run in rotation evenings and weekends, including Sunday matinees) | Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery Street

Director Ian Farthing
Cast Adam Beauchesne, Joel Garner, Matthew Kennedy, Alexis Kellum-Creer, Kazz Leskard, Tariq Leslie, Mark Manning, Sidartha Murjani, Michael Robinson, Michael Shewchuk

Reviewer Karen Fitzgibbon


Well done! The acting is terrific! Frost/Nixon is a very professional theatre production.

On May 1st 1977 David Frost aired his historical interview on 60 Minutes with President Nixon. It was the most highly watched news interview of all time. Although Nixon kept avoiding any involvement in the Watergate wire tapping, Frost eventually nailed Nixon to confess that he did commit a criminal offense. Nixon actually states that he thought that being President of the United States allowed him to cross the line.

Frost not only had to corner Nixon for an interview but he had to come up with $600,000 to pay Nixon. American networks were not about to pay such a high price. Through a great balancing act and stroke of genius Frost had most of the stations air the interview when he offered them a terrific deal. The stations would not have to pay for the interview if they would air 6 minutes of commercials already sold by Syndicate Services Inc. 150 plus stations then carried the interview and an historical moment in TV history was made.

The actors don’t miss a beat. The use of a revolving interview stage which consists of two chairs facing each other in the middle of the audience is great idea. It is so well done that I feel that I am actually present during the interview.

Leslie’s portrayal of Nixon is very convincing. Soon after Nixon stepped down he is visited by Frost and Nixon lets us see his vulnerable side. He was never good at socializing and he knew that people never really liked him very much. He makes the comment to Frost (not the exact wording but a summary) “I was never like you. You are sociable and make a good impression on people.” I actually feel a bit sorry for Nixon at this moment.

Put aside some theatre time to see Frost/Nixon, a great theatre performance. My only negative comment is about the poor air conditioning. It was extremely hot in the theatre.

© 2015 Karen Fitzgibbon