Frost/Nixon

I don't really remember the Frost/Nixon interviews as I was only 12 years old when they first aired, but I do remember that they were a big deal and that something important happened. As we all know Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency, shortly after being reelected to a second term, to avoid the possibility of impeachment and even jail time for covering up the Watergate break in. After his resignation, he secluded himself in his home on the California coast and we didn't hear much from him for a few years. Then after laying low for a while, he began to emerge giving speeches and making appearances for whatever he could get someone to contribute to his coffers. His famous agent Swifty Lazar got him a great book deal, paying out millions and several people were pursuing a TV interview. One of the major networks had an offer of $300,000 on the table, but Lazar steered Nixon to a little known Australian talk show host that they thought would be a push over and also they could bilk more money out of.

Frost was know as a playboy and a lightweight. He was an entertainer, not a journalist, so the network newsmen had a field day when Nixon committed to do the interview with him. Most troubling of all was the fact that Frost would have to get syndication for the interviews and sell a lot of advertising to cover the costs of six hours of TV as he had no network backing him. The rumor was that Frost had to finance a large part of the production out of his own pocket.

Once they got started filming there were ground rules set about what they could and could not talk about that had to be followed. Watergate was only supposed to be 25% of the interview. Nixon was also a master at aversion. He strung out his answers and killed time, frustrating Frost and keeping any substance out of the interview. It wasn't until the last day of the interviews that the major breakthrough happened. Nixon caved. It was amazing. He admitted he lied, he admitted he covered up the break-in and he apologized to the American people for defying their trust. Some how Frost had broken through and gotten what every reporter (and angry liberal) in America had wanted. After the interview, Frost went back to being a talk show host and playboy and Nixon went back to seclusion in Southern California.

Portland Center Stage's performance of Frost/Nixon was riveting. Bill Christ is very convincing as Nixon and David Townsend is amazing as Frost. The sparse stage gives you just enough to make the story move along and the narrators keep you up to speed on the story. This is the best performance I seen so far at PCS.

Frost/Nixon runs April 14th-May 10th on Portland Center Stage's main stage. It is directed by Rose Riordan and written by Peter Morgan. It runs one hour and forty five minutes with no intermission.