| Network | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Poster for the National Theatre production | |
| Written by | Lee Hall (play) Paddy Chayefsky (film) |
| Date premiered | 13 November 2017 (2017-11-13) |
| Place premiered | Lyttleton Theatre,National Theatre, London |
| Original language | English |
Network is aplay byLee Hall, adapted from the1976 film of the same name which had anAcademy Award–winning screenplay byPaddy Chayefsky and was directed bySidney Lumet.
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The play premiered in theLyttleton Theatre at theNational Theatre in London on 13 November 2017 (following previews from 4 November) and ran until 24 March 2018. The production was directed byIvo Van Hove and starredBryan Cranston asHoward Beale.[1][2]
The play featured set and lighting design byJan 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.[3]
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.[4]
The production premiered onBroadway at theBelasco 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.[5][6] Originally, the transfer was scheduled to play theCort Theatre, but following the early closure ofGettin' the Band Back Together, producers announced that the play would open at the Belasco Theatre. Cranston reprises the role of Howard Beale alongsideTatiana Maslany in her Broadway debut as Diana Christensen[7] andTony Goldwyn as Max Schumacher.[8]
The plot closely followsthat of the 1976 film but uses stage devices and audio visual technology to immerse the audience as participants.[9] 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.[10] The play's most significant diversion from the film is a final monologue delivered by Howard Beale. Freed in death from his derangement, Beale warns about the destructive nature of absolute beliefs, urging the audience to instead exercise compassion and connection.[11]
The London production of the play received mostly rave reviews, singling out Cranston's performance.[12]
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| Characters | London (2017) | Broadway (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Howard Beale, anchorman | Bryan Cranston | |
| Harry Hunter, associate producer | Charles Babalola | Julian Elijah Martinez |
| Max Schumacher, head of News | Douglas Henshall | Tony Goldwyn |
| Frank Hackett, executive | Tunji Kasim | Joshua Boone |
| Louise, Schumacher's wife | Caroline Faber | Alyssa Bresnahan |
| Ed Ruddy, chairman | Michael Elwyn | Ron Canada |
| Diana Christensen, director of Programming | Michelle Dockery | Tatiana Maslany |
| Schlesinger, her researcher | Evan Milton | Susannah Perkins |
| Nelson Chaney, executive | Tom Hodgkins | Frank Wood |
| Jack Snowden, presenter | Robert Gilbert | Barzin Akhavan |
| Arthur Jensen, head of UBS | Richard Cordery | Nick Wyman |
| Director | Ian Drysdale | Bill Timoney |
| Sheila, production assistant | Paksie Vernon | Nicole Villamil |
| Floor manager | Stuart Nunn | Jason Babinsky |
| Continuity announcer | Patrick Poletti | Henry Stram |
| Technicians | Tobi Bamtefa Andrew Lewis Beverly Longhurst Rebecca Omogbehin | Gina Daniels Nicholas Guest Joe Paulik Jeena Yi |
| Secretary | Isabelle Della-Porta | Camila Canó-Flaviá |
| ELA member | Danny Szam | Eric Chayefsky |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Critics' Circle Theatre Award[13] | Best Actor | Bryan Cranston | Won |
2018 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Bryan Cranston | Nominated |
| Best Video Design | Tal Yarden | Nominated | ||
| Laurence Olivier Awards | Best New Play | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Bryan Cranston | Won | ||
| Best Lighting Design | Jan Versweyveld | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design | Eric Sleichim | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Tony Awards[14] | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Bryan Cranston | Won |
| Best Direction of a Play | Ivo van Hove | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Design of a Play | Eric Seichim | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards[15] | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Tal Yarden | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) | Eric Sleichim | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Play | Bryan Cranston | Won | ||
| Drama League Awards[16] | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance Award | Bryan Cranston | Won | ||