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| Images from National Theatre web site |
Making full use of the Lyttelton Theatre's roomy stage, this visually impressive production has an elaborate set featuring a full-blown TV studio, with working cameras actually projecting live footage onto a large screen at the back of the stage. There is a café-bar to one side where the cast mingle with some members of the audience. The TV studio swarms with a huge cast, including presenters, executives, sound and lighting technicians and make-up artists, all plying their trade on stage in full view of the audience. An adaptation of a successful film from the 1970s, Network tells the story of a news show that goes on a fraught rollercoaster ride, after its ratings dive and its anchorman loses the plot.
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| Images from National Theatre web site |
Bryan Cranston (of Breaking Bad fame) is captivating in the lead role of Howard Beale, convincingly swerving between a suave presenter and an ageing has-been, teetering on the edge of insanity. Unfortunately, his best friend, played by Douglas Henshall (of Shetland fame), is a bit wooden by comparison, while Michelle Dockery (best known for Downton Abbey) seems somewhat one-dimensional as an ambitious TV executive who will do almost anything to draw in viewers. In general, many of the performances involve a lot of shouting and not a lot of subtlety. With an overall theme of outrage and stress, over two hours (without an interval), Network can become a little repetitive and wearing, as the refrain: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore," echoes around the theatre. Still, the storyline about the dumbing down of television news is as relevant today, as it was in the 1970s, as contemporary commentators agonise about the impact of fake news and click bait on election campaigns, political debate and social cohesion.
8/10
