Surf Wiki
Save to docs
arts

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Talk Radio (play)

1987 play written by Eric Bogosian

Summary

1987 play written by Eric Bogosian

FieldValue
nameTalk Radio
writerEric Bogosian
genreDrama
settingCleveland, Ohio
premiereMay 28, 1987
placeThe Public Theater
charactersBarry Champlain

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

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

Cast and characters

CharactersOff-Broadway debut
(1987)Film adaptation
(1988)Broadway debut
(2007)Barry ChamplainDan WoodruffEllenLauraStu NoonanDietzKentSid Greenberg
Eric BogosianLiev Schreiber
Mark MetcalfAlec BaldwinPeter Hermann
Ellen Greene
Leslie Hope
John C. McGinleyMichael Laurence
John Pankow
Michael WincottSebastian Stan
Zach GrenierAdam Sietz

Production 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. 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). The show made its final Broadway performance at the Longacre Theater on June 24, 2007.

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.

Awards and nominations

1987 Off-Broadway production

YearAward ceremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef.
1987Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize for DramaEric Bogosian

2007 Broadway production

YearAward ceremonyCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2007Tony AwardBest Revival of a PlayEric Bogosian
Best Actor in a PlayLiev Schreiber
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Revival of a Play
Outstanding Actor in a PlayLiev Schreiber
Outstanding Sound DesignRichard Woodbury
Drama League AwardDistinguished Revival of a Play
Outer Critics CircleOutstanding Revival of a Play
Outstanding Lead Actor in a PlayLiev Schreiber

References

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.

References

  1. [http://theater.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/theater/reviews/12talk.html?pagewanted=all The New York Times]
  2. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-01-06-ca-286-story.html The Los Angeles Times]
  3. [http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?pagewanted=print&res=9B0DE7DF173FF93AA15756C0A961948260 NY Times review of 1987 production]
  4. The opening night cast also included [[Christine Pedi]], [[Barbara Rosenblat]], Adam Seitz, [[Marc Thompson (voice actor). Marc Thompson]], [[Kit Williamson]], Cornell Womack and Christy Pusz.[https://soundcloud.com/american-theatre-wing/episode-144 ''Talk Radio'' playwright Eric Bogosian ''Downstage Center'' XM radio interview by the American Theatre Wing, March 2007]
  5. [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/talk-radio-v48550 AllMovie]
  6. The American Theatre Wing]
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1987-plays american-plays-adapted-into-films cleveland-in-fiction off-broadway-plays plays-by-eric-bogosian plays-set-in-ohio works-about-radio-people
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Talk Radio (play) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report