Nixon's Nixon

I've become a bit of a history-junkie over the past year or so (Foreign Service, what?) so this play, all about the end of Nixon's administration, was really appealing.

Two actors play Nixon and Kissinger(Gerry Bamman and Steve Mellor), and the entire play focuses on a conversation between the two on the night that Nixon resigns from the presidency. The stage is set in a conservative room in the White House where we see Nixon animatedly acting as if he's conducting the classical music he's listening to. There's a knock on the door and in walks Henry Kissinger. The two begin to talk animatedly and re-live their times in the administration. They act out conversations between Brezhnev and Mao and it's truly hilarious to watch the actor playing Kissinger pretend to be both of these great men, while still playing Kissinger. Both of these actors have great chemistry and work well off of one another.

The show brings up some great points - especially focusing on the power struggle as Nixon resigns. Kissinger is trying to fight to stay on in the next administration and history tells us that he does stay - but the way this show is written it keeps the audience guessing. We know neither of these men are truly innocent - they've both committed crimes of dishonesty in the administration and are trying anything to hold on - when we know Nixon only falls tremendously from the position he held.

Great show - glad it's being re-staged as it's so well written and very well-acted.