TALK

About the show

WORLD PREMIERE "2MD the Power of Talk, what would you like to speak to John about today? Cyclists, righto. Any particular aspect of cycling? Well I agree, they should have to obey the road rules. Okay… no no, save it for John, I’ll put you on hold… John, line seven, it’s your favourite, bike paths." John Behan (John Waters) is a radio talkback host with a city in the palm of his hand. He fills Sydney’s airwaves with biting wit and easy answers, hard facts be damned. Yesterday, he overstepped the mark. Today, the police have come knocking and a trial-by-media threatens to get out of control. Locking himself in his studio and broadcasting live, John Behan is not going to go quietly, even if a man’s life is on the line. Twitter explodes. The court of public opinion seems firmly on his side. He has control of the airwaves and ratings are through the roof. Fuelled by the controversy, newsrooms all over town are chasing this sensational story. Will they reveal the truth? Perhaps. Or will they toe the line for the sake of their jobs? More likely. In this brand new Australian play, writer and director Jonathan Biggins (The Wharf Revue) sets his eyes squarely on modern journalism, social media and the 24-hour news cycle. Right now, in a world where ‘alternative facts’ threaten to trump due process, the questions posed by Biggins in Talk are more urgent than ever. Are journalists still looking for the truth? When everyone has a megaphone at their fingertips, is anyone actually listening? The charismatic John Waters - fresh from a villainous turn on ABC’s Rake and his national tour of Lennon: Through a Glass Onion - is back at Sydney Theatre Company for the first time in over a decade. With him on the Sydney Opera House stage is a wonderful cast, including Valerie Bader (Children of the Sun), Helen Christinson (A Flea in Her Ear), Peter Kowitz (ABC’s Janet King), and Andrew Tighe (Travelling North).