Photo Flash: Theatre Works New Milford's TALK RADIO

On Friday, February 25th, TheatreWorks New Milford is proud to invite you to the debut show of our 44th Season with the darkly comic, terse, and off-beat play, Talk Radio, by Eric Bogosian.

"Talk Radio is an intense, funny, and cynical character study with Barry Champlain, a 1980s shock-jock, at its center," said director Susan Abrams. "The beauty of this play is that while Barry berates his late-night callers with reckless abandon, we can still sympathize with his flaws. He is anything but evil incarnate, and it's to the credit of Bogosian that we see why Barry has attracted such a strong and devoted following. I'm so proud we were able to mount such a bold and edgy piece in New Milford, because it's not something you'll have the pleasure of seeing often and everywhere."

"When people hear the term ‘talk radio' today, they equate it with the conservative talk radio genre...and that's not what this show is about," said TheatreWorks' President Glenn R. Couture. "This funny, moving, and off-beat production harkens back to a time in the 80s when folks would call up their DJ for some late night, no-holds-barred chit-chat. And guys like Barry Champlain, portrayed brilliantly by Bob , were virtual stars in their own right. That "shock radio" entertainment translates so well to the stage in this production that audiences will be blown out of their seats with laughter, tension, sadness, and fear...it's an all-out attack on the senses."

Besides Lussier, Talk Radio features some of the region's finest actors: Laura Gilbert (West Cornwall), Marilyn Hart (Brookfield), James Hipp, Jacky Saulnier, and Tom Libonate (all Danbury), Maxwell Alexander, Alex Echevarria, and Beth Bonnabeau (all New Milford).

Talk Radio made its world premiere at The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival on May 12, 1987, and made its Broadway debut at The Longacre Theatre on March 11, 2007 - earning two Tony Award nominations. The play was adapted into a critically-acclaimed film by director Oliver Stone in 1988. New York Newsday called the play "A compelling work that draws you straight into the heart of its fringe world. It makes the call in show a metaphor for America's lost souls."

Photo Credit: Richard Pettibone