Talk Radio: A Play

by Eric Bogosian

“Your fear, your own lives, have become your entertainment.”?Talk Radio

“More timely today than it was twenty years ago . . . Radio crackles with intensity.”?Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News

“The most lacerating portrait of a human meltdown this side of a Francis Bacon painting. . . . This revival, like the original production, allows its star to grab an audience by the lapels and shake it into submission.”?Ben Brantley, The New York Times

Eric Bogosian’s Talk Radio?his breakthrough 1987 Public Theater hit that was made into a film by Oliver Stone?has been revived in a “mesmerizing” (Newsday) production on Broadway, with Liev Schreiber playing the role of the late-night shock jock that Bogosian himself originated. The drama is set in the studio of Cleveland’s WTLK Radio over the course of Barry Champlain’s two-hour broadcast, being scrutinized that night by producers with an interest in taking the show national, and fueled as always by coffee, cocaine, and Jack Daniel’s. Barry’s jousts with his unseen callers?ranging from a white supremacist to a woman obsessed with her garbage disposal?are peppered with insights into his character from his ex-deejay pal and his sometime girlfriend/producer, and punctuated with a transformative visit from an embodied voice.

Eric Bogosian is a writer and actor who over the last twenty years has authored five full-length plays and created six full-length solos for himself, including subUrbia; Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead;and Drinking in America. He is the recipient of three OBIE Awards and a Drama Desk Award, and has toured throughout the United States and Europe.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction, School, Thriller, Media Tie In

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Eric Bogosian is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Chicago and Oberlin College. His numerous plays include Talk Radio (1987) and subUrbia (1994), which were adapted to film by Oliver Stone and Richard Linklater, respectively, with Bogosian starring in the former.
Bogosian has appeared in plays, films, and television series throughout his career. His television roles include Captain Danny Ross in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006–2010), Lawrence Boyd on Billions (2017–2018), and Gil Eavis on Succession (since 2018). He also starred as Arno in the Safdie brothers' film Uncut Gems (2019). He has also been involved in New York City ballet production, and has written several novels as well as the historical nonfiction Operation Nemesis (2015).

Reviews

[Jon Hewelt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers, probably.

I enjoyed my experience reading this, but I don't really know what it amounts to in the end. Like, stake-wise, things felt relatively low, and this was more a "day in the life" kind of play, despite the fact that "the sponsors are watching".

Conflicts and problems are introduced, but don't really go anywhere. Which I kinda like, a work of fiction not following your standards of plot structure and resolution. But as a result, the play felt lacking. Like it needed a little structure in order to get us to care more.

Also, and perhaps this is 2021 hindsight, but the content of the call-ins and Champlain's shock jock banter felt really...meh? I'm sure it was shocking enough at the time it was released, and that this time of material naturally defangs over time. But it was just kind of....yeah? So what?

I wonder if the rest of Bogosian's work is like this. The only time this felt really daring to me was when the call-ins were ganging up on Champlain and questioning his inherent worth, and he gets all existential. That felt more naked and shocking and honest than any of the controversial stuff.

Oh, shit, maybe that's the point? Probably. It just didn't stick with me much at the end. Like, I'm thinking about it now as I write this review, but when I was done with the play, I was like, "Okay.", and moved on. I wonder what this is like in performance.

[Sarah Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Awesome, sharp dialogue that I imagine really captures late 80s shock jock radio (I wouldn't necessarily know for sure, but I have been held hostage to a lot of Howard Stern in my life, which I'm guessing is similar).

-Doesn't quite stick the landing on the page, but may have great concluding energy on stage/in production. Would love to work on it in production, as it all still feels relevant--we've got Rogan after all, and other podcasts and radio shows that this play reflects. And it does feel like a niche cultural touchstone that remains under-explored and would benefit from some more scrutiny.

[Nithin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.6)

[eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

wayyyyy tighter than the movie. probably helps it doesnt need an extra half hour or whatever of fill time. if i ever had to do a monologue for something i'd want to do the one from the end of this. eric bogosian im obsessed with you

[Dillon Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, gripping and engaging, Talk Radio manages to say so much while also having nothing ever really happen. Bogosian’s commentary on how people only want to hear what they’re thinking, and not the truth, is as relevant today as it was back then.

A must read for anyone looking for a good play.

[EJ Paras · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I happen to know that God is alive and well and living in Gary, Indiana. He’s a black steelworker with seven kids who works the night shift pouring off slag.”

Mean, caustic, hilarious. Eric Bogosian wrote some delicious, DELICIOUS monologues. You can just chew on those words. Truly so many awesome, vicious monologues.

“Lemme put it this way, Barry Champlain is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”

Inspired to read because my friend and old roommate Steve took an acting class after I started — he was also inspired by my decision and wanted to give it a gander. He told me he prepared a monologue from this play; I wasn’t familiar, but with a gift card to the Drama Book Shop that he gave me for Christmas, I picked up a Bogosian collection as a sort-of homage.

Glad I did.

[Jordan Muschler · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do we judge an incendiary work of art when it is no longer a wildfire but an ember? "Talk Radio" certainly delivers on strong theatrical ideas, humorous sensibility, and quite a subtextual journey for the right lead performer. But so much of what it delivers feels tame in comparison to the present media landscape, to the modern ideologues who make Barry Champlain look like Barry Manilow. Could that intense, of the moment feeling be unlocked by a great director? Or has this script written in the 80s become an artifact? It's worth experimenting to find out... but at least on the page, I fear "Talk Radio" might just not work like it used to.

[Andrea Janov · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I recognize the talent, Champlain will stick with me as a character, and I felt all the heaviness in the subtext, I didn't really connect with this play. I am aware that shock jocks are a thing, but it is something that I just don't get the motivation. I was hoping that this play would uncover that for me, as Bogosian's characters are wonderful at revealing that nugget, but this one was just lost on me.

[Carlton Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first exposure to Talk Radio was seeing Oliver Stone’s reworking of the play, which featured the main character being assassinated in the end so kinda of odd to arrive at a much more vague open ending in the original format here.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really acrid and nasty. Well constructed but I don’t think this really helped me see things about our culture that weren’t, in 2018, all too hammered into our consciousness by a reality tv president of nastiness. The demented, less soulful cousin to Frasier.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this play could get boring as our host (who needs to be electric and engaging) is constantly fighting with various guests and we get monologues about him from his co-workers. Although I was interested in what I read, Talk Radio never feels like enough.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of handwringing media anxiety that wound up so limp in the hands of Sorkin and any number of other Dubya-era satires, this feels prophetic broadcasting from the second Reagan administration.
"Akron's ancient history... This is Cleveland"

[csenge · Rating 4 out of 5]

a bit dated at this point but it is an interesting snapshot of the late 80s – you get a slice of the life of a bigshot (asshole) talk radio host. i would love to see this performed, the set and the off-stage callers and commercial breaks are a really cool and unique idea.

[Jimilee Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never seems to disappoint. His style is in your face and no cares given! It’s a ride to take.

[Bill Hice · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has a much better structure than the movie because the play does not need to fill time. It just starts and does not let up untill the curtain falls.

[Brad Milison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated but I still enjoyed it.

[J Dubyuh]

This play is written by someone who went to Oberlin.

[Grace Szostak · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Emily Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this script. Bogosian has a great grasp on his ability to convey emotions and character traits.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barry has quite the ego. Thinks he's the only one alive who has something important to say, but his "solution" seems to be to insult all his callers.

[Trin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark as pitch, incredibly tense in spite of relatively little action, deeply unsettling. One to sit with.

[Jane Wantland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading a time capsule into woke 1985

[Parker Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

yeahhhhhh bogosian kinda presaged the whole political podcast era huh.

[Kevin Thomsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

no one tell Eric Bogosian about politics twitch streamers

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 or 4 not sure but 4 for how I imagine it would be on stage

[Ena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally performed in the 1980s and a finalist for the Pulitzer, Talk Radio had me wondering what, if any, influence this play had over the creation of Frasier. They might be totally unrelated - sitcoms based in radio or TV stations were hardly new ground when Frasier premiered - but parts of Talk Radio reminded of that sitcom.

Talk Radio focuses on a Midwestern shock jock and one night of his program. The play messes with traditional dramatic formats, which I liked, but I found the plot was too thin and awkward. The plot felt tacked on and stuffed in as a way to justify the rambles that make up the bulk of the play.

Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy Talk Radio – I did, especially its still relevant commentary on modern society – but I wanted more story amid the clever moments and lines. Recommended.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could modify how ratings work, I would give it a 4.5. I found this to be a very fascinating character study. Barry Champlain is one of those characters, that I feel is one of the most interesting characters I have ever read. He has a great ability to read people. To be able to tell if they are faking. He likes twisting knives. There's a great moment between one of his callers and him, that really captures a great moment, and hangs it on the wall like a picture for him to see. It's also just really interesting to listen to these snippets of conversation between him and his callers. These are only a few minutes/seconds, but it is really interesting dialogue. If you want to pick up a book that is a great character study, for whatever reason, I would highly recommend this play.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In this time, our work is more relevant than ever"- a tweet I saw on small town play productions that is relevant to this book. I didn't really know anything besides Suburbia (which I didn't like) so I went into this warily. It was pretty good. I like that you kind of got to put your own spin on Barry- what are his views on everything else? Why is he like this? And so on. I think it's kind of messy for just putting a straight white guy on a pedestal for having the guts to "tell it like it is" *cough* but I can see this happening, unfortunately. I needed to reread the last page to fully make sense of what happened.

"Lemme put it this way, Barry Champlain is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."- Linda, page 58

[Cary S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The calls themselves featured in the play were hilarious, and the character development for Barry was fantastic. Having said that, there was a pretty large supporting cast that seemed to have roughly nothing to do. They were a bit two-dimensional, with flashes of insight coming only in 4th-wall breaking monologues... that were about Barry. Also, the ending felt a bit rushed and somewhat unearned. I think this is one of those plays that I might need to see performed to get the full force of the work.