That Famous Indictment of TV News Hits the Stage

He’s Madder than Hell

The 1976 film, Network, with an Oscar-winning screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky, was a satirical, bordering on farcical indictment of the television news industry and the corporations and conglomerates that control it, as well as the continuing globalization of all industries, from soup to nuts. The adaptation to theater by Lee Hall maintains the same sensibilities and sarcastic humor as the film while paring it down to fit on stage. 

It is 1974. Howard Beale (Peter Palmisano) has been reading the news on a national broadcast station for 25 years. His ratings are bad. CCA, a multinational corporation that owns the station, is interested only in the bottom line. They fire him. He decides to kill himself, and thinks it will be a good idea to blow his brains out on national television during his last newscast. He announces this on air, and panic sets in among the suits that run the show. A young extremely gung-ho woman named Diane Christensen (Michele Roberts), who would not recognize an ethic if it bit her on the nose, does Features for CCA and wants in on the action, eventually convincing the suits to keep him on as his outrageous behavior on the air is increasing ratings. What follows is how this all plays out.

Peter Palmisano IS Howard Beale. From his alcoholic rants to the increasingly angry diatribes against the industry, the general state of the world and the Arabs in particular, who are buying up everything in sight, he never misses a beat. He decompensates in front of our eyes, from a straight-looking newscaster to a raging, out of control, wild-eyed maniac who wields great power among the masses, who think everything on television is true and believe every word he says. He can manipulate people into doing just about anything. Whether he is drunk with power, or just drunk is unclear.

There is a sadness about all of this that is lost on almost everyone involved with him in the play. Only his friend, Max Schumacher (Christopher Guilmet) has any true concern for him. And therein lies an issue with this play. The characters are mostly stereotypes of the voracious, immoral, corporate geeks who will stop at nothing for high ratings and a share of the pie. At the same time, the actors play their parts very well. John Kreuzer as the blustering Frank Hackett looks and acts the part of the corporate hatchet man. Michele Roberts is excellent as the sexy Diane, who uses her sexuality to get what she wants from the men, and is capable of having sex while talking non-stop about her plans for the program. Well done. Jack Hunter is Arthur Jensen, the mostly soft spoken man in charge, who intimidates Diane and Howard in two monologues that are very chilling as he quietly describes his belief that there is no democracy, no individuality. There is only money. Creepy. They may have cloned him and named the clone Gordon Gekko. But, that was another writer and another movie. Still, the idea of a moral compass is anathema to both characters.

a Warning to the Digital Age

Jacob Albarella does a fine job as the warm-up guy before Howard’s show. He is smarmy as all get out. Mike Randall from WKBW-TV makes a video appearance as an on-the-scene reporter. 

The large projection screen does live broadcasts of Howard, as well as showing various commercials, news clips, and clips from tv shows of the 1970s. From Archie Bunker, to Johnny Cash, to Patty Hearst, to Angie Dickenson in a cop show. There was even a commercial warning about pollution and the effects on the environment. Glad everyone paid heed to that. Split screen images fill the time between scenes, designed by Brian Milbrand, who is also the cameraman for the live broadcasts. After the curtain call, the images continued, but are of broadcasts from this era that give one pause.

Executive Director Loraine O’Donnel directed.( This is her last show in that capacity, as she is moving on to other things. However, she will be directing two shows next season. Katie Mallinson will be acting Executive Director.) Ben Michael Moran did the period costumes, with lighting by Brian Cavanagh. The realistic studio set is designed by David King.

Will the Relevance Continue?

Network presents the underbelly of the tv industry. It is as relevant today as it was in 1976. There were no cell phones, no internet, no digital anything at the time. Concerns about globalization, Big Brother tactics, and a complete lack of consideration for humanity as anything other than consumers has only increased in the five decades since. Lucky us.