Journalism, communism and McCarthyism. “Good Night, and Good Luck” presents the drama of all these ideas through a biographical stage play adaptation of real events during McCarthyism through Edward Murrow’s [George Clooney] point of view.
Back when fear of communism was on the rise, Sen. Joseph McCarthy added panic to the political hysteria by accusing people of communist beliefs without any proof.
These allegations continued to spread until anews reporter, Edward Murrow, took a hard look at McCarthyism and its impact on America. After a legendary broadcast exposing McCarthy’s exploitation of the people’s fear, Murrow made history and paved the way for investigative journalism.
With support from Press Pass NYC, the NYC Public Schools Arts Office and Seaview Productions, 18 Bronx River News journalists saw the Broadway play, along with about 1,000 other high school students on May 14. After the performance, Clooney acknowledged the young people in the audience and provided words of encouragement.
Jomayra Amparo, one of the students on the trip, thought the actors were really good and the visuals were amazing.“It felt like I was living through it,” she said. “I felt the play was trying to say to never limit your freedom of press, which resonated with me because I’m in journalism.”
Franklin Sosa, who attended the play, said, “The experience was great; I thought it was really cool that we got to see George Clooney.”
He says it made him appreciate being a journalist even more. “I’d rate it a 7.5 because the acting was good, but during the play, there was just a lot going on.”
“If you’re a young journalist just getting into this field, this play would be amazing for you to watch,’’ he said. “It shows some of the difficulties you’re going to come across as a journalist, but it also shows the camaraderie that is held within a newsroom.’’
A chance to see play at home
If you’d like to see the show but can’t make it to Broadway, the play will be broadcast live from the Winter Garden Theatre on Saturday, June 7, on CNN.
