“Frost/Nixon”

[rating=5]In these days of political “unrest” and all the constant “tweeting” and “fake News”, our thoughts often go back to another time, and another presidency, that of Richard Nixon and the famous ( or is it “infamous”) Watergate situation. Many recall the day that Nixon went on National TV to announce his resignation and the following interview of Nixon by David Frost. Redtwist Theatre is now presenting a very intimate stage production of Peter Morgan’s “Frost/Nixon”, a ninety minute re-telling of this special TV interview which many called a chess game between the truth and fiction; the Brit Broadcaster and the ex-president. In the long fun, the behind the scenes as presented in this charming play directed to perfection by Scott Weinstein, is one that you should find a way to see, no matter your political situation or party.

I have seen this play done before. In fact, Timeline did a spectacular production several years ago with one of my favorite actors, Terry Hamilton in the role of Nixon. I have watched Brian Parry play many a role at Redtwist and watching him take on this role was a surprise and a delight. He was masterful at making the real character come to life. Parry’s David Frost, Jason Richards ( a newcomer to Redtwist) does a very credible job playing this young man. His wig might work better in a larger venue, but being as close as we are to the actors in this space, it is difficult to hide the fact that he was indeed wearing one. His brilliant acting overcame this silly problem very quickly.

In fact, the entire cast is solid in their taking this story to a special place in recalling our memories from the events of the 1970’s. Most of the audience at todays’ performance were of an age where they would recall the actual events of the time, but I think a few actors were not even born yet. For them, this is a history lesson of the power of the tube and how despite Nixon’s clever way of being interviewed, Frost finally gets the right ammo to throw at the ailing man and, well, you will see for yourself just how these actors show us what transpired between these two men, enemies, and yet, maybe they could have been friends, under other circumstances.

What took place made David Frost a hero and Nixon  a symbol for abuse of power. The ensemble that Weinstein has assembled does a masterful job:  Adam Bitterman ( as Swifty Lazar and Mike Wallace- his Lazar is magical), Patrick Byrnes, Raphael Diaz, Kristi Forsch, John Arthur Lewis, E. Malcom Martinez, Brian McKnight, Heather Kae Smith and Mike Tepeli. Great job!

The tech for this show was also solid with a set by Jeffrey D. Kmic, lighting by Brandon Wardell, sound by Eric Backus ( who also did the original music), projections by Rasean Davonte Johnson , costumes by Rachel M. Sypniewski and props by Andrew Ashley Hatcher. We truly feel that we have taken a trip back into time as we walk into the theater which is not a small TV studio and later becomes the actual interview space where Frost takes Nixon to a new level ( don’t want to spoil history for you, but “google” will explain it to you anyway!)

“Frost/Nixon” will continue at Redtwist Theatre located at 1044 West Bryn Mawr ( just east of the Red Line stop at Bryn Mawr) thru May 20th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  3 p.m.

Tickets are $35-$40 – $5 discount for students and seniors

There is a special performance for the understudy cast on Tuesday, May 5th at 7:30 p.m. $20 /$15 for seniors and students

To order tickets call 773-728-7529 or visit www.redtwist.org

Parking is available at Francesca’s across the street (valet) and at the meters on the streets surrounding the theater. Running time is 1 hour and 35 minutes with no intermission.

To see what others are saying, visit http://www.thetreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Frost/Nixon”.