Kickstarter

NIXON/KING

a new play by Robert P. Young

Two of the most polarizing figures of the 20th century were Richard Nixon and Martin Luther King, Jr.--Nixon, for his paranoia and his opportunism, and King for his selfless devotion to peaceful non-violent resistance.

Neither man was wholly a sinner or a saint. Nixon was an advocate for civil rights as a Republican politician, and was a devoted family man. King associated with Communists and others who threatened America's national security, and was unfaithful to his wife.

This play examines a crucial point in American history--the year 1960, the year in which the country would select for the first time a man who was born in the 20th century. The contest was between two young, ambitious politicians, Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon. Ultimately, Kennedy would prevail due in no small part to his greater mastery of the medium of television, and a willingness to take a political risk that Nixon would not--namely, aiding in Dr. King's release from a dangerous southern prison. 

I was interested in dramatizing a fictional scenario in which the ever-calculating Nixon would "interview" an imprisoned King to find out if the civil rights leader was worthy of Nixon's political capital. Because I am a comedian at heart, the play is a black comedy written in broad strokes, with pop culture references anachronistic to the 1960's and out-of-character behavior for both Nixon and King.

NIXON/KING is an attempt to start dialogue and attack what I believe are very troubling aspects of American politics today--the mendacious media and politicians' execrable ethics.