Network Tickets

Network premiered in 2017 at the National Theatre. After making waves in London, the play is finally coming to New York to stun the audiences with its thrilling performances and incredible direction. If you want to watch this play, book your Network tickets at the earliest because the show is expected to sell out soon.

The Original Movie

The original motion picture, ‘Network’ was released in 1976. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky. The role of Howard Beale was played by Peter Finch. The movie became a critical and commercial success, and won the Academy Awards for the performances and screenplay.

This movie has been credited for predicting the bitter reality of modern media. Looking at the modern day’s media landscape, everyone can agree that the movie was accurate in its predictions. We can see how devaluation of the truth and commoditization of the news has become the norm these days.

What Is The Play About?

Network is a brilliant black comedy whose theme revolves around the annoyance at the media puppetry and the modern society. It is a satire on the modern day news coverage and the television direction; it shows how editorial content is dictated by profit margins. This play shows the sad state of the media where opinions are given more importance than facts. It depicts the media landscape where the boundary between fiction and facts becomes blurred. The play is about the dangers of fanaticism, our addiction to outrage, corrupting commercialism, corporate cynicism and the ratings obsessed media.

This chilling story is about Howard Beale, a newscaster at UBS, a fictional television station in New York. He is fired because of a drop in his show ratings. As a result of this, he is plunged into anger and despair. He then becomes suicidal and announces on air that he will take his own life during his final broadcast. This bizarre announcement results in his sudden popularity and his ratings spike astronomically. Instead of sacking him, the television studio retains him and gives him the title of the ‘mad prophet of airwaves.’ He rants on live TV and tells the audience that he is ‘mad as hell’ about the political corruption and media cover-ups. The television studio exploits the nervous breakdown and instability of Howard only for the sake of their ratings.

The Actor Behind Howard Beale

Bryan Cranston has played the character of ‘Howard Beale’ in this play. He is known for his famous television series ‘Breaking Bad.’ He has won the Emmy Award four times for ‘Breaking Bad’ and has won the Tony Award for ‘All the Way.’ He has also won the Olivier Award in 2018 for his role of Howard Beale.

The Creative Team

This play is adapted by Lee Hall, the Olivier, Tony and Emmy Award winner and is directed by Ivo Van Hove, the critically acclaimed director. The designer, Jan Versweyveld, has done a commendable job when it comes to set designing. He has successfully transformed the stage into a blend of a public restaurant and a television studio. Eric Sleichim has worked as the sound/music designer, An D’Huys has worked as the costume designer and Tal Yarden has worked as the video designer for this play.

Critical Acclaim

The Daily Mail has called the play ‘Superb,’ the Daily Telegraph has called it ‘Scintillating, the Guardian has called it ‘Magnetic’ and the Evening Standard has called it ‘Astonishing.’ The play’s thematic foresight and incredible direction has made it a massive hit. Buy your Network tickets now to see what is so special about this play that has made it a theatrical hit.