Bryan Cranston, who won a Tony playing Lyndon B. Johnson in “All the Way” four years ago, will return to Broadway this fall in director Ivo van Hove’s acclaimed stage adaptation of “Network.”
Cranston won an Olivier Award earlier this year playing the mad-as-hell newsman Howard Beale in the video-projection-packed London production that opened at the National Theatre last November and played through March.
“Network” will begin performances on Nov. 10 at Broadway’s Cort Theatre ahead of an official opening on Dec. 6. The limited run is expected to go for 18 weeks. Additional casting will be announced shortly.
Lee Hall (“Billy Elliot”) adapted Paddy Chayefsky’s Oscar-winning screenplay about a ratings-challenged news anchor who unravels on air during his final broadcast. But when ratings soar, the network seizes on their newfound populist prophet and Howard becomes the biggest thing on TV.
The prescient 1976 film, which depicted a media landscape where opinion trumps fact, won four Oscars, including for stars Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and supporting actress Beatrice Straight.
Jan Versweyveld will design the sets and lighting, continuing his 30-year professional relationship with van Hove. The production will also feature video design by Tal Yarden (“Lazarus”), costume design by An D’Huys (“A View From the Bridge”) and music and sound by Olivier Award nominee Eric Sleichim (“The Damned”).
The National Theatre will produce the Broadway production along with David Binder, Patrick Myles, David Luff, Ros Povey and Lee Menzies.