Behind the Scenes: Frost/Nixon

Legendary intrusive journalist and comedian David Frost is a hero after The Tab’s own heart. 

With the new Union play’s direction split between two people, James Fennemore and Josie Mitchell, representing Team Frost and Team Nixon, we were bound to turn the tables and ask some probing questions…

Why is Frost/Nixon worth seeing– won’t the audience just be packed with boring Port and Policy types?

James: It’s a very original take on the issue, and it’s not in a traditional theatre space. The Union is where Nixon first formally apologised.

It will attract a slightly different crowd – anyone interested in politics or media, really.

Leveson and the phone hacking scandal have been all over the papers for months now. Aren’t political press scandals a bit cliché?

Josie: It’s very relevant. It’s the ultimate back-to-basics. We’re looking at the time when people first started experimenting with media and televised presidential debate.

Isn’t student drama out of its depth grappling with political issues like this one?

James: I think there’s a sense of fun and energy you get with student drama.

It’s really not trying to be weighty at all, just represent a single powerful hour between two very human people.

We’ve all seen the film, taken the History GCSE, read the Wikipedia page – surely it’s impossible to make F/N fresh?

James: Partly the challenge of it being not in a theatrical space.

Josie: We’re also having screens behind the actors, streaming the action on stage in a live TV show, you see the scene changes, the makeup…

James: You really get a sense of how television changes, alters and distorts reality, which you miss with the film.

We hear your Frost lead bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Sheen. Did this have any bearing on your casting?

Josie: Absolutely not.

James: No.

(The Tab is not so sure….)

We grabbed Frost (Ed Barr-Sim) and Nixon (Aleksandr Cvetkovic) after a heated rehearsal – in even more heated accents – and played them off against each other….

Hi guys. Has playing Frost and Nixon caused tension in your friendship? Pressure starting to make you crack?

 Alex: It’s quite artificial rivalry… well… ok, not artificial.

Ed: It’s like we’re Spurs and Arsenal fans. We can talk, but then the subject of football comes up and it’s like- (pulls rigid face)

Alex: There comes a point where we go outside and cry over a cup of tea.

A political play staged at the Union: sounds groundbreaking… 

Alex: This sounds really thespy and arty but it has this history to it which really adds something… there’s something coming off the walls…I can’t really describe it, but it’s amazing.

Ed: Oh, yeah, I’ve just realized that’s actually where they sit and debate stuff… (dissolves into laughter)

What about being filmed whilst performing onstage? Nervous about those HD closeups?

Ed: Oh god. The sweating. Every little wince….

Alex: Oh, it’s great. It adds realism, it adds pressure.

Ed: Yeah, there’s this sketch where Michael McIntyre comes on stage at the Apollo and there are these huge screens projecting his face behind him, but try as hard as he can, he can’t see himself in them. It feels a bit like that.

Frost/Nixon is on at the Union in fourth week.

Find out more here

Photos: Giacomo Sain