Theater Talk: Checkers

Published on Dec 10, 2012

We take a look at one of the most significant political events of the 20th century -- Richard Nixon's notorious "Checkers speech." It is the subject of the new play by Douglas McGrath, "Checkers," now at the Vineyard Theatre. Our guests are playwright McGrath, the show's director Terry Kinney, plus actors Anthony LaPaglia and Kathryn Erbe, who play Richard and Pat Nixon respectively in this drama based on the events surrounding Nixon's 1952 televised address to the nation. In it, Nixon not only defended his reputation, but more importantly, pioneered the use of television as an effective political tool.

Taped: 10-19-12

Theater Talk is a series devoted to the world of the stage. It began on New York television in 1993 and is co-hosted by Michael Riedel (Broadway columnist for the New York Post) and series producer Susan Haskins.

The program is one of the few independent productions on PBS and now airs weekly on Thirteen/WNET in New York and WGBH in Boston. Now, CUNY TV offers New York City viewers additional opportunities to catch each week's show. (Of course, Theater Talk is no stranger to CUNY TV, since the show is taped here each week before its first airing on Thirteen/WNET.)

The series is produced by Theater Talk Productions, a not-for-profit corporation and is funded by contributions from private foundations and individuals, as well as The New York State Council on the Arts.


Watch more Theater Talk at www.cuny.tv/show/theatertalk