''An Evening With Richard Nixon'', originally billed as ''An Evening With Richard Nixon and ...'', is a play by Gore Vidal which opened at the Shubert Theatre in April 1972. The play was produced by

Hillard Elkins Hillard (Hilly) Elkins (October 18, 1929 – December 1, 2010) was an American theatre and film producer. Life and career Born in Brooklyn in New York City, Elkins attended Erasmus Hall and Midwood High Schools and Brooklyn College. William Gr ...

, directed by

Edwin Sherin Edwin Sherin (January 15, 1930 – May 4, 2017) was an American director and producer. He is best known as the director and executive producer of the NBC drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1991–2005). Early life Sherin was ...

, and starred

George S. Irving George S. Irving (born Irving Shelasky; November 1, 1922 – December 26, 2016) was an American actor known primarily for his character roles on Broadway theatre, Broadway and as the voice of Heat Miser in the American Christmas television spe ...

, Gene Rupert, Humbert Allen Estredo,

Stephen D. Newman Stephen D. Newman (born January 20, 1943) is an American actor. In 1983, he appeared opposite Brian Bedford in a Broadway production of Molière's ''The Misanthrope''. For his performance in ''The Misanthrope'', in which he played Philinte, Ne ...

, Philip Sterling and Robert King. As yet "undiscovered" in the ensemble were future stars

Maureen Anderman Maureen Anderman (born October 26, 1946) is an American actress best known for her work on the stage. She has appeared in eighteen Broadway shows over the last four decades earning several Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations. Career An ...

and Susan Sarandon. The play is a wry examination of the career and Presidency (up to that pre-Watergate point) of Richard M. Nixon (Irving). As it starts, two pundits, a William F. Buckley-like Pro (Rupert) and a Gore Vidal-like Con (Estredo) are debating the worthiness of Nixon. Unable to settle their differences objectively, they magically convene a tribunal of deceased, past Presidents — Eisenhower (Sterling), Kennedy (King) and Washington (Newman) — to review the Nixon career and pass judgment. The rules are strict: anything we observe in the central playing area, which is dedicated to historical recreation, is taken from actual public record; every word spoken by anyone is what that person actually said. This applies especially to Nixon, whose words, we are assured, remain in their original context. Only Pro, Con and the Tribunal speak freely in the immediate present. And of course, they have much to say. Previews began on April 18, and the play ran from April 30 to May 13, for a total of 14 previews and 16 regular performances. The published version of the play, prepared prior to rehearsals, features only the tribunal of presidents, but not the characters of Pro and Con, who were added later.

References

External links

''An Evening With Richard Nixon'' at Internet Broadway Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evening With Richard Nixon 1972 plays Broadway plays Plays based on real people Plays by Gore Vidal Satirical plays Cultural depictions of Richard Nixon