Frost/Nixon is a 2006 British historical play by Peter Morgan. The play is based on a series of controversial televised interviews granted by former U.S. president Richard Nixon to English broadcaster David Frost in 1977. The interviews focused on Nixon's administration, including his role in the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to his resignation as president.
Performance history The play premiered at the Donmar Warehouse theatre in London in August 2006, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Michael Sheen as the talk-show host and Frank Langella as the former president. Frost/Nixon received enthusiastic reviews in the British press. It then played at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End, again starring Langella and Sheen.
On March 31, 2007, the play began previews on Broadway. It officially opened as a limited engagement at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on April 22 and closed on August 19, after 137 performances. The cast included Langella, Sheen, Remy Auberjonois (John Birt), Shira Gregory (Evonne Goolagong), Corey Johnson (Jack Brennan), Stephen Kunken (James Reston Jr.), Stephen Rowe (Swifty Lazar/Mike Wallace), Triney Sandoval (Manolo Sanchez), Armand Schultz (Bob Zelnick) and Sonya Walger (Caroline Cushing).
TimeLine Theatre Company in Chicago ran the play from August 21 to October 10, 2010.BWW News Desk (8 April 2010). "TimeLine Theater Announces Their 2010-11 Season". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved on 8 April 2010.
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result 2007 Tony Award Best Play Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play Frank Langella Best Direction of a Play Michael Grandage Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play Peter Morgan Outstanding Actor in a Play Frank Langella Outstanding Director of a Play Michael Grandage Outstanding Music in a Play Adam Cork Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Play Outstanding Actor in a Play Frank Langella Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Stephen Kunken Outstanding Director of a Play Michael Grandage Outstanding Lighting Design Neil Austin Drama League Award Distinguished Production of a Play
Feature film
Ron Howard directed a 2008 film adaptation of the play. The film was produced by Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Films for Universal Pictures. Shooting began on August 27, 2007."Arts Briefly", The New York Times, 1 May 2007 Langella and Sheen reprised their roles for the film.
References
External links Official sites: The Original Interviews Website London production
Michael Billington, Frost/Nixon, The Guardian,(London) 22 August 2006 Paul Taylor, "Frost/Nixon, Donmar Warehouse, London: Closing shots convey the drama of a TV classic", The Independent (London), 22 August 2006 Charles Spencer, "Brief but gripping encounters", The Telegraph (London), 23 August 2006 Benedict Nightingale, Frost/Nixon, The Times Online (London), 22 August 2006 Ben Brantley, "When David Faced a Wounded Goliath", The New York Times, 23 April 2007 (Broadway production) TimeLine Theatre Company, Chicago: Frost/Nixon Study Guide Retrieved 2011-10-02