Photo Flash: First Look At FROST/NIXON At Theatreworks Silicon Valley

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will kick off the new year with the Tony and Olivier Award nominated drama Frost/Nixon. Written by Golden Globe winner Peter Morgan (creator of Netflix's The Crown), Frost/Nixon is a riveting political prizefight where the cameras roll, the truth spins, and it becomes clear that he who controls the medium controls the message. With America caught in the riptides of Watergate and Vietnam, the former leader of the free world and a lightweight British talk-show host clash in a legendary series of TV interviews that will determine the President's legacy forever. Directed by Leslie Martinson, Frost/Nixon will be presented January 16 - February 10, 2019 (press opening: January 19, 2019) at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro Street, Mountain View. For tickets ($40-$100) and more information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Frost/Nixon debuted at London's Donmar Warehouse in 2006 to critical acclaim, and then transferred to the West End's Gielgud Theatre later that year, securing three Olivier Award nominations including "Best New Play." Its 2007 Broadway premiere garnered a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award for actor Frank Langella for his performance as Nixon, a Drama Desk Award for director Michael Grandage, and was nominated for three Tony Awards including "Best Play," four Drama Desk Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards, and a Drama League Award. The New York Times declared Frost/Nixon "Fast and fluid. A ticking-bomb thriller!" and USA Today called it "supremely entertaining theater." Its 2008 film adaptation was called "spellbinding" by The Wall Street Journal and "a delicious contest of wits" by The Washington Post and it was nominated for five Academy Awards and five Golden Globes.

TheatreWorks has assembled a stellar cast for this production, featuring Jeremy Webb as British talk show host David Frost and Allen McCullough as former president Richard Milhous Nixon, both making their TheatreWorks debuts. Webb has performed regionally at Lincoln Center Theater, Signature Theatre, The Old Globe, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and The Alley Theatre. Webb has also been seen in roles on NBC's "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and "Law & Order: SVU," as well as in CBS's "Guiding Light." McCullough has been seen in HBO's Vinyl, directed by Martin Scorsese, and in Amazon Prime Video's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," directed by Amy Sherman Palladino. He has also appeared onstage in Roundabout Theatre Company's national tour of Twelve Angry Men and in productions by Long Wharf Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, and the Folger Theatre.

Returning to TheatreWorks where he was seen as Mr. Bingley in this summer's workshop of Pride and Prejudice, Adam Shonkwiler makes his main stage debut as John Birt, BBC's director of news and current affairs and the producer on Frost's team. Shonkwiler's film and TV appearances include The Private Lives of Pippa Lee and The Playboy Club, directed by Kenny Ortega. In addition, he has performed onstage at Lincoln Center Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The Goodman Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, and San Jose Repertory Theatre. He was also seen in the Marvin Hamlisch and Jerry Lewis workshop stage production of The Nutty Professor and in the national tour for Whistle Down the Wind. Returning to TheatreWorks where he was seen in Peter and the Starcatcher, Kenny Toll plays Jim Reston, a researcher for the Frost team. Toll has also performed at San Francisco Playhouse, Magic Theatre, and Aurora Theatre Company.

Photo Credit: Kevin Berne