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Nixon’s Nixon
By Russell Lees
Directed by Michael Halberstam
Produced by Writers’ Theatre
At Books on Vernon
664 Vernon
Glencoe, IL
Call 847-242-6000, www.writerstheatre.org
Tickets $60 - $75
Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 7:30 pm
Thursdays & Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 4 & 8 pm
Sundays at 2 & 6 pm
Wednesday matinee: 2 pm Sept 10 & Oct 1
Running time is 1 hour, 50 minutes without intermission
Through October 19, 2008
Powerful drama depicts the fall of a President
Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe brings back, just in time for the 2008 Presidential elections, their Jeff Award winning production of “Nixon’s Nixon” directed by Michael Halberstam starring Larry Yando as Nixon and William Brown as Kissinger. This two-hander is a mesmerizing psychological drama depicting the last night of Richard Nixon’s presidency. Playwright Russell Lees uses the fact that Henry Kessinger spent hours with Nixon the day before he resigned in disgrace from the Presidency in 1974.
Lees shows Nixon as a melancholy figure torn by drink in a state of delusion that has him moving back and forth from plotting survival to accepting his need to resign. Henry Kissinger has the task of convincing Nixon that resign for the good of the country and Nixon’s own place in history. During the last weeks, Kessinger was the only man able to converse effectively with Nixon.
Larry Yando channels Nixon quite effectively with Nixon’s body language, gestures and facial expressions. Yando is a great actor and he demonstrates the depth of his acting range in this role. He is scary as Nixon as we see the President come unglued before our eyes. Yando has the demented look in his eyes as he plots and struggles with Nixon’s demise. You’ll be riveted to your seats as Yando’s Nixon comes apart.
William Brown, recreating his Jeff Award winning role as Kissenger, is equal to Yando in intensity and character development. His Kessinger moves from friend to coconspirator to adviser as he tries to do two things: get Nixon to resign and get Nixon to destroy any tapes with Kissenger. We see Kessinger subtly maneuvering Nixon to do the right thing. The psychological give and take between the two powerful men is smartly played out by Brown and Yando.
We witness the two reenact several key historical moments from Nixon’s presidency that is moving and poignant. There is both humor and pathos in this character study. “Nixon’s Nixon” is a wonderful showcase for Larry Yando and William Brown. You’ll not see finer acting than these two provide in this in depth drama. Ultimately, the play is a cautionary tale for Americans to dive into the character of anyone who aspires to be President of the United States. We surely don’t want anymore Nixon’s (or Bush’s). Yando aptly displays the character flaws of Nixon. This is a world-class production with tremendous acting. Don’t miss this gem
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date reviewed: August 27, 2008
Jeff Recommneded
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