In a day and age where the media has such a profound effect in both society and politics, it’s fitting to see a Broadway production of Network. Based on the 1976 film of the same name, this adaptation sees Bryan Cranston assume the role of raving news anchorman Howard Beale, played previously by Peter Finch, in one of only two posthumous Academy Award-winning performances.
For those unfamiliar with the original film, Cranston’s Beale finds his news program cancelled due to low ratings, and in the week leading up to his show’s final airing, airs a series of shows where he first announces he’ll commit public suicide, then on a separate airing rants about life and its unfair nature. His ratings spike up as a result, and in turn, his news show - no longer cancelled - is retooled to an entertainment program where he consistently rants about the world in various propaganda pieces, being dubbed the “Mad Prophet of the Airwaves.”
Cranston is absolutely electrifying as Beale, being a worthy successor to the late Finch. An actor whose known for his goofy, over-the-top performance as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, as well as his commanding, tragic performance as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Cranston is able to mix a little of both worlds in his performance as Beale. While the original Finch role portrays someone who - while extremely entertaining to watch - simply went stark-raving mad after hearing the initial news of his cancellation, the play takes some minor liberties with the character to give him a little more depth.
This version of Beale is someone who’s portrayed as seriously mentally ill. We see a few moments throughout the play in which Beale is by himself, off his medication, ranting and raving in an outright delusional matter. This allows Beale, who is more of a supporting character in the original film, to be a little more in the spotlight and to really showcase Cranston’s acting chops. While it doesn’t exactly add anything too new to the subject of mental health (a topic in general which is discussed way too infrequently), it does add to the heartless nature of some of the story’s supporting characters, as it shows them exploiting a man who has some serious issues. It adds an extra layer of gravitas to the Beale character and gives Cranston time to show off his more tragic side to balance out how cartoonish and over-the-top Beale can be at times.
The other two noteworthy names in this play are Tony Goldwyn playing Max Schumacher (originally played by William Holden) and Tatiana Maslany as Diana Christiansen (originally played by Faye Dunaway). The two offer fine supporting performances, though I did feel Goldwyn is given a tad bit less to do than the role called for in the original movie. With the expanded focus on Beale, Goldwyn’s Schumacher is a little more of a reactionary sort of character, rather than getting too many of his own moments to truly shine, other than towards the beginning. Maslany, in her Broadway debut, gives a commanding performance as Christiansen, with a conniving, almost-sinister feel to her. She wasn’t an outright hateful sort of character, yet she’s someone with clearly no morals of her own, and Maslany plays the role well. I haven’t had the chance to see her truly showcase her acting abilities in the past (I have yet to watch Orphan Black), but here, she proves she’s quite the talented actress.
If there’s one other element, besides the performances, that makes this play quite a bit of fun is how much it relies on audience participation and interaction. When you have a Broadway play that’s not a musical, you need to find other ways to engage with the audience, and this play finds several creative ways to do so. The most common form is that the play audience acts as the live audience who attend Beale’s propaganda show within the story, so there are moments where they’re called to applaud, cheer, and repeat lines they’re told to repeat. It’s a joyous experience that really brings the audience together and collectively participate in the show themselves. There are other clever moments beyond these that involve the cast interacting with the audience, but I won’t reveal those here.
The set design for this play is absolutely incredible. You almost feel as if you’re in a broadcast room of an actual production studio. There are monitors all across the back walls behind the cast, as well as on the sides. If you’re seated too far off to the sides, the monitors on the opposite sides will play the action that you’re missing, and there are even moments where multiple screens will hone in on some of the various actors’ movements. So if someone is at center stage, speaking, and there’s a character remaining silent off to the side, the monitors will zoom in on their movements and you will catch their reactions as key scenes unfold, making for a truly immersive experience.
This version of Network expands even more so on the original film’s satire of how the media has such lasting effects in people’s day-to-day lives. With many news sources today getting easily criticized for their biases and skewing of facts, as well as certain programs spouting opinionated propaganda, Network offers a fantastic look at what happens when it can go too far. With a fantastic lead performance by Bryan Cranston, some brilliant, hilarious moments of satire, and fun scenes involving engaging audience participation, this is one of the finest stage productions I’ve seen in quite some time.
Network is running until April 28, so go see it while you can.
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