# Network (play)

Network is a play by Lee Hall, adapted from the 1976 film of the same name which had an Academy Award–winning screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky and was directed by Sidney Lumet.

## Production history

The play premiered in the Lyttleton Theatre at the National Theatre in London on 13 November 2017 (following previews from 4 November) and ran until 24 March 2018. The production was directed by Ivo Van Hove and starred Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale.
The play featured set and lighting design by Jan 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.
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.
The production premiered on Broadway at the Belasco 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. Originally, the transfer was scheduled to play the Cort Theatre, but following the early closure of Gettin' the Band Back Together, producers announced that the play would open at the Belasco Theatre. Cranston reprises the role of Howard Beale alongside Tatiana Maslany in her Broadway debut as Diana Christensen and Tony Goldwyn as Max Schumacher.

## Plot

The plot closely follows that of the 1976 film but uses stage devices and audio visual technology to immerse the audience as participants. 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.

## Reception

The London production of the play received mostly rave reviews, singling out Cranston's performance.

## Cast and characters

| Characters | London (2017) | Broadway (2018) |
| Howard Beale, anchorman | Bryan Cranston | 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 |

## Awards and nominations
### Original London production

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2017 | Critics' Circle Theatre Award | Best Actor | Bryan Cranston | Won |
| 2018 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Bryan Cranston | Nominated |
| 2018 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Video Design | Tal Yarden | Nominated |
| 2018 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best New Play | Best New Play | Nominated |
| 2018 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actor | Bryan Cranston | Won |
| 2018 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Lighting Design | Jan Versweyveld | Nominated |
| 2018 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Sound Design | Eric Sleichim | Nominated |

### Original Broadway production

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Bryan Cranston | Won |
| 2019 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Ivo van Hove | Nominated |
| 2019 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld | Nominated |
| 2019 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden | Nominated |
| 2019 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Eric Seichim | Nominated |
| 2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Nominated |
| 2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Tal Yarden | Nominated |
| 2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design (Play or Musical) | Eric Sleichim | Nominated |
| 2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Play | Bryan Cranston | Won |
| 2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Nominated |
| 2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Bryan Cranston | Won |