Frost/Nixon, Gielgud Theatre – Review

This afternoon in London started at the Gielgud Theatre at 2:30pm for the play “Frost/Nixon”, starring – amongst others – Frank Langella as Richard Nixon and Michael Sheen as David Frost. It’s basically the story surrounding Nixon’s involvement in Watergate and how he found himself confessing to playboy/talkshow-host David Frost that he was, in fact, a crook.

I thought the play was nothing short of sensational, I must say. Frank Langella has Richard Nixon down 100%. The posture, the walk, the accent, the voice, everything. Even though he was a president that had done the wrong thing (of which he’s hardly alone), Langella managed to portray him as a man that didn’t wake up in the morning thinking that his actions were OK. His confession was real, the emotions were real and I found myself sympathising with him. Not because of what he had done, but because he had the guts to say “Yes, I was wrong, and I’m sorry.” I’d like to see George W. Bush doing a TV interview after he’s been kicked out of the White House where he says, “Actually, guys, I’m sorry that I sent our troops into Iraq and I see now the error of my ways. Even though I did what I thought was right at the time, I’ve later realised that I was wrong – and I’m sorry.” When pigs can fly, I guess.

Michael Sheen as David Frost had the same depth as his opponent. On the surface, a slick, carefree playboy. Deeper down, a man desperate to save his career, desperate to show he could do more than interviewing the Bee Gees – so much so that he put his own money into paying the ex-President for his time to do this infamous interview. His despair as he wasted three of his four sessons by giving Nixon too much time to rant, seeing his life and career as he knew it going down the drain unless he got that all important edge on Nixon. And boy did he show more than his usual pussycat side once he found the hard evidence he was looking for. One can wonder what David Frost himself thought of this piece.

Unfortunately you can’t catch this play in the London West End after today – but if you find yourself in New York and want to see a play, this would be a safe bet for an interesting night out. Meanwhile, you can see clips of the actual interviews here.