History for the generation now growing into a theater-going audience is a minefield of unknowns. To mind comes Paul Gross's new film, Passchendale, which he hopes will introduced this generation to Canadian history. One can only wish him luck. Based on the reaction to a far more recent event recreated in the Frost/Nixon interviews, Passchendale will seem more like just another action film rather than an actual event that helped make Canada a nation because it happened almost 100 years ago. Of course, there are those who will say that the events portrayed in Frost/Nixon had nothing to do with us. Or did they? This nation is, after all, not immune to corruption of power by our leaders.

But back to Mr. Morgan's play. It stars one of Canada's most senior and internationally most well known actors, Len Cariou, as Richard Nixon. Cariou produces a powerful image of a man unable to admit that he had a hand in the Watergate affair and the attempt at hushing it up. Eventually, this cost Nixon his presidency, choosing to resign in 1973 rather than face impeachment. At no time does Cariou attempt to imitate Nixon, although he does give the famous double V sign, for which the former president became famous. Yet, as one watches Cariou it is clear why Nixon had the nickname of Tricky Dickie. This experienced actor knows how to bring out that alternately malevolent, sleazy, and friendly face of Nixon for which he became known.

Morgan's play loosely follows the concept of a Greek tragedy. Two of the minor characters, Jim Reston (Ari Cohen) and Jack Brennan (Tom McBeath) act as choruses, giving running commentary as the story unfolds. Reston is an author who assisted Frost in the research needed to confront Nixon, Brennan was Nixon's aide-de-camp. Although the two remain two-dimensional in the play as do John Birt (Damien Atkins) and Bob Zelnick (Michael Healey), this format enriched the play. Birt acted as Frost's producer and Zelnick served as his executive editor.

Actor David Storch, unfortunately, attempts to imitate Frost's somewhat nasal speech, but fails to formulate the British TV host's, nevertheless, very clear Oxonian accent (despite his Cambridge education). The actor's interpretation of Frost is effete, which wholly contradicts the man. Hence, what comes out is a bad imitation of Dudley Moore imitating David Frost. Storch neither picks up on Frost's well known arrogance, nor the one annoying habit the interviewer showed during the actual interview that revealed his inner insecurity: a constant picking at his fingers throughout the event. It seems to me that if imitation is to be used then these flaws are a far better way to depict Frost rather than a bad Brit accent and limp-wristed actions that were never part of the man's demeanor. Here the fault may well lie at Dykstra's indefinite direction, however, rather than be Storch's fault.