New Nixon play in DC (Reviewed)
Delight takes hold immediately in Round House Theatre's "Nixon's Nixon" as a familiar scowling figure air-conducts Tchaikovsky with physical abandon. The arms pump and the jowls flap, but nobody's there to follow his emphatic cues. It's the eve of his resignation, and Richard Nixon -- statesman, scoundrel and everything in between -- is alone.
It's a magnificent, side-splitting image, and one that aptly sets the stage for a fascinating satire of a man losing control as he's, well, losing control.
In Russell Lees's fantasized version of Nixon's final hours in office, the president has a co-conspirator in Henry Kissinger, who interrupts the musical reverie. Together, downing brandies and reminiscing about their wars and peace talks, they grope for an exit strategy.
The acting is a joy, not least because the characters are recognizable in an instant. As Nixon, Edward Gero has the hairline, the creased cheeks, the uncomfortable way in a suit -- his shoulders always seem to be bunching up. Conrad Feininger, dapper in a tux and with a high shine on his shoes, nails Kissinger's deep, thick, German-accented voice.
Read entire article at WaPo
It's a magnificent, side-splitting image, and one that aptly sets the stage for a fascinating satire of a man losing control as he's, well, losing control.
In Russell Lees's fantasized version of Nixon's final hours in office, the president has a co-conspirator in Henry Kissinger, who interrupts the musical reverie. Together, downing brandies and reminiscing about their wars and peace talks, they grope for an exit strategy.
The acting is a joy, not least because the characters are recognizable in an instant. As Nixon, Edward Gero has the hairline, the creased cheeks, the uncomfortable way in a suit -- his shoulders always seem to be bunching up. Conrad Feininger, dapper in a tux and with a high shine on his shoes, nails Kissinger's deep, thick, German-accented voice.