Talk Radio (play)
| Talk Radio | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Eric Bogosian |
| Characters | Barry Champlain |
| Date premiered | May 28, 1987 |
| Place premiered | The Public Theater |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Cleveland, Ohio |
Talk Radio is a 1987 Pulitzer Prize-nominated play written by Eric Bogosian, based on a concept by Bogosian and Tad Savinar. The play centering around a shock jock originated off-Broadway at The Public Theater in 1987 where it became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It made its Broadway debut in 2007 which earned two Tony Award nominations for Best Revival of a Play and Best Actor in a Play for Liev Schreiber. The play was adapted into a 1988 film of the same name directed by Oliver Stone.
Plot
[edit]The story follows Barry Champlain, a Cleveland-area shock jock, on the eve of his radio show's national syndication.[1][2]
Cast and characters
[edit]| Characters | Off-Broadway debut (1987) |
Film adaptation (1988) |
Broadway debut (2007) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Champlain | Eric Bogosian | Liev Schreiber | |
| Dan Woodruff | Mark Metcalf | Alec Baldwin | Peter Hermann |
| Ellen | Ellen Greene | ||
| Laura | Leslie Hope | ||
| Stu Noonan | John C. McGinley | Michael Laurence | |
| Dietz | John Pankow | ||
| Kent | Michael Wincott | Sebastian Stan | |
| Sid Greenberg | Zach Grenier | Adam Sietz | |
Production history
[edit]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] A production was staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2006, directed by Stewart Lee, featuring Mike McShane, Phil Nichol, and Stephen K. Amos.[4]
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.
1988 film adaptation
[edit]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.[6]
Awards and nominations
[edit]1987 Off-Broadway production
[edit]| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Pulitzer Prize | Pulitzer Prize for Drama | Eric Bogosian | Finalist | [7] |
2007 Broadway production
[edit]| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Tony Award | Best Revival of a Play | Eric Bogosian | Nominated | [8] |
| Best Actor in a Play | Liev Schreiber | Nominated | |||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Actor in a Play | Liev Schreiber | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Design | Richard Woodbury | Nominated | |||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Revival of a Play | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play | Liev Schreiber | Nominated | |||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Brantley, Ben (March 12, 2007). "The Mouth That Roars, With the Soul That Crumbles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ "The Word on 'Talk Radio' : Eric Bogosian Finds Story in the 'Fringe Element' of the Media". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1989. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ NY Times review of 1987 production
- ^ Lee, Stewart. "Reviews & Press... Talk Radio". Stewart Lee. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ "Eric Bogosian from "Talk Radio" - Episode 144". American Theatre Wing (Podcast). March 30, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ "Talk Radio (1988) Directed by Oliver Stone". AllMovie. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ "Finalist: Talk Radio, by Eric Bogosian". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- ^ "The Tony Award Nominations". Tony Awards. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
Bibliography
[edit]- Rossi, Umberto. “Acousmatic Presences: From DJs to Talk-Radio Hosts in American Fiction, Cinema, and Drama”, Mosaic, 42:1, March 2009, pp. 83–98.