Frost/Nixon

I've yet to see Peter Morgan's "The Queen," but based on his new play "Frost/Nixon" it's clear that Morgan is a very skillful dramatist. "F/N" is fluid, intriguing, and a quick read. The "battle" between the two main characters is what the media hype has been focused on, but just as interesting is the build up: Frost (aptly named) is the master of cool; Nixon, we know, sweats and stammers but does his best to remain presidential. The play is narrated by two characters, one a Frost adviser, one a Nixon chief of staff. The plot, therefore, zings along, much like a political thriller, as we wait for the main event: the infamous TV interviews. Each man has something at stake; each is hard-nosed and egotistical. "F/N" has a screenplay quality to it. Some will accuse it of being more like film than like theatre. But, in the end, it entertains and makes you think about stardom, dishonor, and the cult of personality that TV has wrought. In "F/N", we see the birth of infotainment, before it had a name.