Not So Musical Monday: Network

Spoiler warning: The following review contains spoilers for Network, which is as of this review is schedule to run on Broadway until June 8th.

There is a long philosophical debate that has been framed in various ways through different contexts that boils down to a simple question: is it better to be consistently good but never stray much higher or lower or is it better to be reach great heights if that means you have to suffer through valleys as well? This question popped into my mind when I saw Network, the Broadway play based on the iconic 1976 film of the same name. Bryan Cranston’s performance is absolutely phenomenal, and there are some really interesting things done with the set, but I wonder if these being so great actually hurt the play more broadly by shining on a light on what didn’t work.

Peter Finch was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Howard Beale in Network, and Mr. Cranston takes the wonderful portrayal of Beale and somehow makes it more intimate, a truly impressive feat. Mr. Cranston gives himself completely to the role of television anchor losing his mind and fed up with the state of the world. Not only does he fill the entirety of the theater with his powerful performance, but the decision by the creative team to have several cameras onstage and carried by actors to mimic television news means that Mr. Cranston is also having his most intimate, intricate decisions broadcast on screens throughout the theater. Big and small, Mr. Cranston puts together what might be his best performance of his career, which says a lot for the Tony and multiple Emmy winner.

The opening of the show was done wonderfully. The set is put together like a television studio, which I’ll admit as a former broadcast journalism major gave me a real sense of happiness and familiarity. For at least 25 minutes before the show you see the characters getting ready for the broadcast as the actors are getting ready for the stage. As the show begins, the television screens show unique angles and make you feel like you’re watching television. Often in the background ads from the 1970’s are playing on various screens, which really adds to both the overall experience and the attention to detail. I really appreciated so much of the detail that felt true to the time of the piece.

The problem with having such a great performance by Mr. Cranston and such an interesting setting in parts are that I was bothered a lot by other decisions. There are many talented actors in this play, but Mr. Cranston steals every scene to the degree that when he wasn’t on the stage I was noticeably less interested in what was happening and would hope it wasn’t long until he was back on the stage. Similarly, as much as I loved the set decisions, there was a flip about halfway through the play that really didn’t work for me. There was a scene that took place out front of the actual theater and was broadcast with the cameras. The show was set in 1975, but the actors were walking by the bar that a lot of my coworkers like to go to for happy hour. Similarly, there was a time where Mr. Cranston goes into the audience, which took me out of the play. I believe it was a decision to blend the decades old show with the modern—a valid point about how entertainment taking precedent over real news is just as true now as in the 1970’s—but this blending of the old and new just left a muddled setting in its wake. The flip was not distinct and didn’t work for me.

Network does have a valid current message, but this is a show about the performance of one man. Years from now when I think back to this play, I’m not sure I’ll remember a ton of details beyond Mr. Cranston, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.