Say it with me now: Bryan Cranston is bringing “Network” to Broadway this fall.
The famous Sidney Lumet movie written by Paddy Chayefsky starred Peter Finch, William Holden, and Faye Dunaway. But it was never staged. Now Cranston will play Howard Beale, the network anchor who snaps, in this adroit satire.
This is a National Theater production, directed by Ivo vanHove (who’s everywhere, everyone wants him on their shows) and adapted by Lee Hall.
The Lumet movie won four Oscars, by the way, for Finch, Dunaway, supporting actress Beatrice Straight, and for Chayefsky for Best Original Screenplay.
Cranston, once known as Dr. Tim Watley on “Seinfeld,” has a Tony award and a boat load of other statues for his fine work in all media. He will be terrific as Beale, particularly in the infamous rant below.
The big question is who will play Dunaway’s seethingly ambitious network executive Diana Christensen? I’ll bet Faye would like to do it herself! (She could!) But that role will be a juicy one.
(Just thinking about Sidney Lumet made me sad. Go back, see all his movies. He was a genius.)
