Talk Radio (play)

Talk Radio is a 1987 Pulitzer Prize-nominated play written by Eric Bogosian, based on a concept by Bogosian and Tad Savinar.

Talk Radio
Written byEric Bogosian
CharactersBarry Champlain
Date premieredMay 28, 1987
Place premieredThe Public Theater
GenreDrama
SettingCleveland, Ohio

Plot

The story of Barry Champlain, a Cleveland-area shock jock, on the eve of his radio show's national syndication.[1][2]

History

The play, with Bogosian in the lead role, premiered off-Broadway at The Public Theater on May 28, 1987, in a production directed by Frederick Zollo. The production also featured John C. McGinley, Zach Grenier, Mark Metcalf, and Peter Onorati.[3]

1988 film adaptation

A film adaptation of Talk Radio, directed by Oliver Stone, was released one year later. Bogosian reprised the title role; however the setting was changed from Cleveland to Dallas. It also starred Alec Baldwin and one of the play's co-stars John C. McGinley.[4]

Revivals

A production was staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, directed by Stewart Lee, featuring Mike McShane, Phil Nichol, and Stephen K. Amos.

Talk Radio made its Broadway premiere on March 11, 2007, in a production starring Liev Schreiber, and featuring Stephanie March and Peter Hermann (Law & Order: SVU), and Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier).[1] The opening night cast also included Christine Pedi, Barbara Rosenblat, Adam Seitz, Marc Thompson, Kit Williamson, Cornell Womack and Christy Pusz.[5] The show made its final Broadway performance at the Longacre Theater on June 24, 2007.

Accolades

The show was directed by Tony Award-winner Robert Falls, and has received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League award nominations for Best Revival of Play and Best Actor in a Play. Additionally, Schreiber was awarded the prestigious Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

References
  1. The New York Times
  2. The Los Angeles Times
  3. NY Times review of 1987 production
  4. AllMovie
  5. Talk Radio playwright Eric Bogosian Downstage Center XM radio interview by the American Theatre Wing, March 2007

Bibliography
  • Rossi, Umberto. “Acousmatic Presences: From DJs to Talk-Radio Hosts in American Fiction, Cinema, and Drama”, Mosaic, 42:1, March 2009, pp. 83–98.
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