Theater Review: Frost/Nixon

by Ed Townley of John Garcia's The Column

Two gifted actors having a lot of fun portraying two juicy characters constitute the primary reason for seeing Frost/Nixon, the play by Peter Morgan that is at the Majestic Theatre this week as part of its national tour. The estimable Stacy Keach has the showier role of disgraced president Richard M. Nixon, but he needs (and brings) his A game to hold the stage opposite Alan Cox as the anxious, eager British talk show host (a title he hates) David Frost.

Not having seen the stage or film productions starring Frank Langella, I was surprised to find an ostensibly political play that has little to do with politics, written and staged (by Michael Grandage) in a style that's just a hair's breadth away from screwball comedy. The play is really about two awkward, desperately eager men, both at low points in their respective lives and careers, who come together for a series of interviews that each one hopes and expects will revive his flagging fortunes. The fact that success for either must involve the humiliation of the other makes it all the more interesting. As Keach and Cox warily sized each other up, probing for weaknesses in preparation for the critical interviews, I kept incongruously thinking of Carole Lombard and John Barrymore in the classic farce Twentieth Century. And I thought, "This is almost a love story!"

I know, I know. It's President Nixon, after all. Watergate, dirty deeds, criminal cover-up –believe me, I was as outraged as anyone while the real political drama played out endlessly through the media. And yet if Watergate were the sole focus of Morgan's script, it would quickly become a dusty period piece, like so much of the overly earnest, anti-establishment music that we thought was so profound at the time. There are only so many times we can get worked up over the same secret tapes and covert ops. But thwarted ambitions, a frustrated sense of urgent self-importance, a willingness to do battle with a worthy foe and a sneaky joy in the whole combative process – these are energies that never grow stale – at least not when they are being enthusiastically explored by two such gifted actors.

Both Alan Cox as Frost and Stacy Keach as Nixon are instantly believable as embodiments of their respective characters. Cox, in particular, is astonishing in his mimicry of David Frost's unique blend of smarm and sincerity. Keach is less interested in imitating Nixon than in inhabiting him – the trademark gestures and jowls seem both familiar and inherently right. The novelty of impersonation quickly gives way, however, to fully rounded portraits of two deeply conflicted men – both tragic in a sense, but also more than a little excited by the battle at hand.

David Frost, as we meet him through Cox, is charming, socially gifted, good at what he does – and desperate to be more. In his most revealing scene – a mid-Atlantic attempt to impress a woman sharing his flight to Los Angeles – Cox is able to demonstrate both the charm that made Frost so popular and the desperation that had him always grasping for greater acceptance and approval.

I first saw Stacy Keach on stage many years ago, as "Peer Gynt" in a New York Shakespeare Festival production in the Delacourt Theatre in Central Park (with Estelle Parsons as his mother and Judy Collins, hair blowing wildly in the wind, as Solveig). I saw pretty much every performance, because I was working for producer Joe Papp at the time. Both the play and the production had problems, but Keach threw himself into the role every night with a gleeful, impetuous enthusiasm that was terrific to behold. I was delighted to recognize the same energy from his first, almost imperceptible entrance as Nixon, the disgraced former president hoping to work his way back into the good graces of the same power elite that Frost also longs to hang and party with. The darkness we associate with Nixon is certainly there – the flashes of arrogance, outbursts of petulant anger and self-pity. His drunken phone call to Frost is stunning in its ferocity and contempt. But there's an undercurrent of self-awareness, of master gamesmanship that at times becomes astonishingly gleeful.

Peer Gynt is still in there somewhere, skillfully playing the cards he's been dealt. Stacy Keach has always been an 'actor's actor' – someone whose sterling reputation among his peers has never quite been matched by the degree of stardom his talent deserves. When he's on the stage, he owns it. He should be there more often.

The supporting cast does just that – adequately supports the lead performances. As Nixon aide Jack Brennan, Ted Koch is unvaryingly angry, loud and hostile when a little subtlety and quiet would be appreciated. Both he and Brian Sgambati, as the liberal writer Jim Reston, Jr. who joins in Frost's interview preparations, carry much of the narration that links the scenes; both are either overmiked or overprojecting. You don't have to shout to get our attention; we're listening. As Nixon's crafty agent, Swifty Lazar, Stephen Rowe deftly channels Jack Benny to sardonic and comic effect.

Set and costume designer Christopher Oram has been with Frost/Nixon since its earliest days at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre in London. His work is simple and effective, focusing on a large video screen that becomes especially powerful during the climactic interviews. Seeing Keach's face in extreme close-up as he realizes that he may have underestimated his foe is unforgettable. Neil Austin's lighting design is strong but, to my taste, distracting in its insistence on dramatic shadows when the audience is still trying to figure out who's who.

The most negative aspect of my Frost/Nixon experience involved not the production, but the audience. The opening night rain seemed to make people crazed and downright rude. It was difficult to even hear the key early scenes with latecomers streaming up and down the aisles looking for seats. And at the play's conclusion, the vast majority of the audience were out of their seats and heading for exits before the final light cue had faded. The curtain call was taken to a sea of backs; I've never seen an audience so completely ignore a cast. By the time Cox and Keach came out for their well-earned second bow, there were maybe 20 of us still applauding in the entire theatre. It was sad and embarrassing. The cast deserves more enthusiasm and appreciation; I can only hope they receive both at future performances.

So if you grab this opportunity to see two outstanding performances in an engaging evening of theatre, be on time. There are no scene breaks for seating, and no intermission. And for heaven's sake, it's not a movie! The actors have been sharing their talents with you freely; nothing is so urgent that you can't take one extra minute to show your appreciation.

Frost/Nixon, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals, runs through May 3. Purchase tickets online or by calling 214-631-ARTS.