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''Network'' is a
play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
by
Lee Hall, adapted from the
1976 film of the same name which had an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
–winning screenplay by
Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays.
He was ...
and was directed by
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), '' Network'' (19 ...
.
Production history
Howard Beale during the play in the National Theatre production.">Howard_Beale_(Network).html" ;"title="Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale (Network)">Howard Beale during the play in the National Theatre production.
The play premiered in the
Lyttleton Theatre at the Royal National Theatre">National Theatre in London on 13 November 2017 (following previews from 4 November) and ran until 24 March 2018. The production was directed by Ivo van Hove">Ivo Van Hove
Ivo van Hove (born 28 October 1958) is a Belgian theatre director known as the artistic director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam in the Netherlands and for his Off-Broadway avant-garde experimental theatre productions. On Broadway, he has directed rev ...
and starred Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale (Network), Howard Beale.
The play features set and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld, video design by Tal Yarden, costume design by An D'Huys, music by Eric Sleichim and sound design by Tom Gibbons. It was produced in association with Patrick Myles, David Luff, Ros Povey and Lee Menzies and supported by Marcia Grand for the memory of Richard Grand.
The play also features a live onstage television studio and an onstage restaurant titled Foodwork, where audience members can enjoy a three-course meal while watching the play.
The production premiered on
Broadway at the
Belasco Theatre
The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 and d ...
, with previews beginning on 10 November 2018 and officially opening on 6 December 2018. Originally, the production was scheduled to run for 18 weeks only to March 17, but has extended the run to April 28, 2019. Originally, the transfer was scheduled to play the
Cort Theatre, but following the early closure of ''
Gettin' the Band Back Together'', producers announced that the play would open at the Belasco Theatre. Cranston reprises the role of Howard Beale alongside
Tatiana Maslany
Tatiana Gabriele Maslany ( ; born September 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for playing multiple characters in the science fiction thriller television series '' Orphan Black'' (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emm ...
in her Broadway debut as Diana Christensen and
Tony Goldwyn
Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
as Max Schumacher.
Plot
The plot closely follows
that of the 1976 film but uses stage devices and audio visual technology to immerse the audience as participants. The audience becomes part of the play both as diners and a studio audience. The distance between fact and fiction is reduced, mimicking the blurring of truth and fiction in contemporary news media.
Reception
The London production of the play received mostly rave reviews, singling out Cranston's performance.
" 'Network' starring Bryan Cranston at the National Theatre – review round-up"
''The Stage'', 16 November 2017
Cast and characters
The cast and crew of the National Theatre production (dated December 19, 2017)
Awards and nominations
Original London production
Original Broadway production
References
External links
*
{{Lee Hall
English plays
Plays based on films
2017 plays
Plays by Lee Hall (playwright)
Plays set in New York City
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