Tony, Olivier, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad," All the Way) makes his "electrifying" (The New York Times) return to Broadway in the National Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Network, now a New York Times Critic's Pick.
In Lee Hall's adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky's Academy Award-winning film, anchorman Howard Beale (Cranston) unravels live on-screen. But when the ratings soar, the network seizes on its newfound prophet, and Howard becomes the biggest thing on TV.
"You owe yourself the thrill of watching Bryan Cranston in Network," raves Ben Brantley of The New York Times. Tony and Olivier winner Ivo van Hove (A View From the Bridge) directs this unique, immersive multimedia spectacle, also starring Tony Goldwyn ("Scandal") and Emmy Award winner Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black").
Catch the must-see theatrical event of the season, now through June 8.
Yet even if this 'Network' doesn't entirely hang together, it's still a fabulous piece of entertainment, directed and performed with verve and showmanship. Just about every directorial choice here - the clocks that count down to Beale's news broadcasts; the applause signs demanding the audience's interaction; a final scene magic trick straight out of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' - manages to be audacious without feeling show-offy. If you're going to transfer a movie to the stage, this is exactly how to do it, by respecting both forms and then taking a sledgehammer to them. Let the pieces land thrillingly where they may.
Bryan Cranston, who could do no wrong as Walter White in 'Breaking Bad' (and a Tony winner for 'All the Way'), burrows deep under the skin of Howard Beale here: the furrowed brow, the anxious angularity, the searching eyes all indicate a person in extremis. But it's the voice that really makes us feel - and fear - for Beale. Beneath the mellifluous tones of Cranston's professional 'newsman' delivery we can hear the agitated rasp and incipient howl of a person who's cracking up.
2017 | West End |
National Theatre World Premiere West End |
2018 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Bryan Cranston |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Network |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Bryan Cranston |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Network |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Projection Design | Tal Yarden |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Eric Sleichim |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Ivo van Hove |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Bryan Cranston |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Eric Sleichim |
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