''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, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

–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 w ...

and was directed by

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

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 and starred Ivo van Hove">Ivo Van Hove and starred Howard Beale. The play featured set and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld">Bryan Cranston">Ivo van Hove">Ivo Van Hove and starred Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale (Network)">Howard Beale. The play featured 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 featured a live onstage television studio and an onstage restaurant titled Foodwork, where audience members could enjoy a three-course meal while watching the play. The production premiered on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre (Broadway)">Belasco Theatre, 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 17 March, but extended multiple times before closing on 8 June 2019, the day before Cranston won the Tony. 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 in her Broadway debut as Diana Christensen and Tony Goldwyn 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 19 December 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