Don’t change that channel: 'Network' makes for compelling viewing at FST in Sarasota
It has been nearly 50 years since Paddy Chayevsky wrote the script for the 1976 film “Network,” which skewered the television news business and the uncaring conglomerates that owned networks, and gave us an advance look of where we were headed with trash TV.
We didn’t realize at the time how truly prescient Chayevsky was. Television news, once respected for accuracy and fairness, started to mix information and opinion in increasingly sensational broadcasts. He somehow knew we’d live in a world where entertainment would be fights among guests on Jerry Springer and revealing paternity tests on Maury Povich’s talk show.
Chayevsky revealed all in his story about veteran anchorman Howard Beale, who rebels against being put out to pasture after 25 years because of declining ratings by telling viewers he will take his own life on live television.
Arts NewsletterSign up to receive the latest news on the Sarasota area arts scene every Monday
'A real concern'How Sarasota arts groups are trying to attract younger audiences
Theater, music, dance, art and moreYour February guide to 60-plus arts events in the Sarasota-Manatee area
The initial reaction among his colleagues is, thankfully, stunned disbelief and concern for his emotional and mental state. But there are plenty of callous people working behind the scenes and above him who see the potential for turning his threat into a ratings hit.
The story all comes back to shock and haunt us once again in a compelling stage adaptation by Lee Hall, now running at Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre.
Staged in a high-tech style by Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins, it is a thrilling rollercoaster ride, fast-paced, scary, disturbing and twisted as it explores the bizarre decisions made by those ratings-obsessed executives.
Sheffield Chastain, a veteran of numerous FST productions, returns as Howard, who gets to rant and rave on the air, encouraging his viewers to join him in shouting the now-famous catchphrase, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”
A major boostNew Sarasota performing arts center receives second $10 million gift
From film to stageFST gets ‘mad as hell’ for regional premiere of ‘Network’
ReviewStakes are high for expectant couples in premiere of ‘Babel’ at FST Stage III
He becomes a superstar, at least for a while, shifting the fortunes of those behind the scenes. His longtime producer Max is pushed aside after he tries to keep Howard off the air. His bosses aren’t worried about mental health issues when ratings begin to explode.
Chastain plays Howard as a bit avuncular but also as an everyman, who captures the feelings of the nation. His rantings initially appear as signs of a nervous breakdown, but he becomes more calculated in what he says as he finds a new purpose on the air.
As Max, Rod Brogan presents a picture of calm stability that is a cover for a man in a problematic marriage having his own midlife crisis. He does battle in numerous ways with Carly Zien as the all-business programming executive Diana, who inserts herself into changing the way news is presented.
Corporate takeovers and lordly conglomerate titans, like a man played by Roy Stanton with the voice of God, factor in the play’s subplot. Sean Phillips plays an executive who is determined to win at all costs, and you can see the pressure on him to deliver. Jason Pintar as a studio manager, Lawrence Evans as another corporate type, Simone Stadler in a double role and others in the large cast, give the production drive and energy. It has a cinematic quality in the way it moves and shifts from one scene to another.
As designed by Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay – with lighting by Ben Rawson, costumes by April Andrew Carsell, sound by Thom Korp and projections and video design by Nathan W. Scheuer – the production reflects both the 1970s and today as it depicts a news studio, with glass enclosed control rooms, along with offices and a watering hole. Cameras broadcast the news programs and all that’s happening around the shows on giant TV screens behind Howard. Unfortunately, the screens aren’t quite in sync with the live performances, making it a challenge to shift your gaze from the actors to the screens.
That technology glitch is a disappointment, but the delayed images don’t fully get in the way of a gripping and constantly surprising story that grabs you from the first scenes and keeps you wondering through an explosive finale.
‘Network’
By Lee Hall, adapted from the screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky. Directed by Richard Hopkins. Reviewed Jan. 27, Florida Studio Theatre’s Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota. Through March 19. Tickets are $25-$39. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org
Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com. And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Captivating ‘Network’ skewers TV news at Florida Studio Theatre
