Talk Radio: Show About 1980s Shock Jock Still Fits Today’s World of Facebook

Jeff Gamlin still appreciates musicals and comedies.

The vice president of area performing troupe Spotlight Theater has even played roles in said genre classics like “Grease” and the “Music Man.” But given his choice he’d prefer something a few shades darker; plays that draw too clear a picture of reality for better or worse. For that reason and a few others he chose to direct “Talk Radio” to close out Spotlight’s latest season.

Eric Bogosian’s Pulitzer-nominated play premiered in 1987, focusing on an important night in the life of a quick-witted, brash, crass and brutally up front radio DJ named Barry Champlain. His show “NightTalk” on a Cleveland radio station is one night away from national syndication, and between him and the rare spoils for a DJ is a boiling pot of humans, spiting their thoughts while calling in on the air. Some are sad, angry and racist. Others are polite, funny and warm. Then there are the crazy, the demented and the random. Late nights are less discriminating.

Talk radio was the first voyeuristic amoeba before Facebook and reality TV. Almost 25 years ago, Barry said, “Your own lives have become your entertainment.” As networks clamor for more ridiculous scenarios to thrust ordinary people into, and new Internet tools are born every day solely for projecting ourselves into the cyber world, Barry’s words may hit closer to our lives now than when the show first opened.       

The show will be the group’s first in their new dedicated theater in New Lenox. Aside from shows, Spotlight Theater also plans on offering classes and workshops in the space, and they are looking to rent it out to fellow performers. Gamlin spoke with Patch about parallels between Facebook and talk radio, dealing with unpleasantness and keeping a woman sad but not too sad.

Why did you pursue “Talk Radio?”

I was familiar with the film version Oliver Stone directed, and then I became interested in the play. We do focus a little more on drama and suspense, shows that aren’t done as much as comedies and musicals. You see all kinds of farces all over the place. How many performances of “Grease” or “The Music Man” do you need to see? They are great shows. I’ve done both. But you see so many of the same old warhorses trotted out.

I haven’t found anyone in the area who’s done “Talk Radio.” The closest I found was a group in Chicago. We like stuff that’s socially relevant. There’s a lot of social commentary in the show. And while it is categorized as a drama, it has lots of funny parts in it. A lot of humor is woven into the statements it makes.

Any statements you found in the show that cut deeper than the others?

Barry, the main DJ says, “Your own lives have become your entertainment.” Look at all these reality shows. We’re all watching each other all the time. How many people do you know spends hours looking at Facebook? It’s entertainment, posting these things about our lives. I’ve seen things posted and think to myself “why would anyone care?”

“I just took a shower” or “I’m sleepy now.” And then people will say they ”like” that. Why? (laughs) Why is that so interesting?

But it is. Some of it maybe people identify with. They see someone who’s like them in some way, even if they are just sleepy.

At the time it was written that was true, but now it is exponentially so much more true. It was really ahead of its time.

How do the callers reflect common examples of people?

It’s like an American microcosm, and some of them are very unpleasant. But then some are nice. A friendly calls in and then a racist person calls. The callers represent the full extent of our country.  The fact that Bogosian didn’t forgo the more unsavory or unlikeable elements really appealed to me. The callers call in and say things that might make you uncomfortable, but it represents real people. That’s my favorite kind of stuff, the shows that recreate real life. They mean the most.

Do you think people feel uncomfortable with some of the dialogue because it reminds them either of themselves or people they know?

I certainly hope some of callers are not like people in the audience. But each of us has a darker side and we aren’t perfect. Even if you can’t identify with a darker character, they may know someone, or identify with an element of that character. Some people might have a hint of this or that. Some might actually be racist. But there are also plenty of people who are perfectly nice. Some are intelligent, and some not so much. Some are a little loopy.

It’s a late night radio show, so you do tend to get an interesting slice of culture late at night. More eccentrics. People that say things, and you think, “what do you mean? I don’t even know where you pulled that from.” It’s a grab bag. But yeah, audience members might just recognize themselves.

How does Barry change as a character throughout the show?

There is a transformation. He’s a character who tries to distance himself from the people and their effect on him, but underneath, despite the brashness and the opinionated, loud mouth persona, he does care about people. He can’t completely block out how the callers affect him. He is a professional, so there’s times he can hold someone at a distance. Because he’s on air, he can put across an emotion he’s not feeling. Caring when he doesn’t, interested when he isn’t.

In one scene, a young pregnant girl calls in, and she’s very upset. Crying. It makes for good radio at first as he tries to help her, but at one point she’s crying so much it becomes bad radio and now he has to distance himself from her. He has to make use of her emotions for entertainment. He needs to keep her sad, but not too sad.

How is this different from other shows you’ve taken on?

There is a singular challenge in keeping this entertaining. The basic concept is a guy sitting in a chair talking to people you don’t see.  About 90 percent of the show, all you see is a guy in a chair. That has to be engaging and entertaining. Also, we had to record a bunch of commercials and news spots. We tried to use as many people as possible to mix up the voices, but I found I even had to distort my voice to sound different. Ultimately, the voice work is another form of acting.

"Talk Radio” will perform on Fridays, June 17th and 24^th, and Saturdays, June 18th and 25^th, at 7:30 P.M. Sundays, June 19th and 26th at 3:00 P.M.

Spotlight Theater: 22032 Howell Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451

Tickets: $14 for adults or $12 for seniors over 61 and students with ID.

$10 for New Lenox residents (present driver’s license/state ID when purchasing tickets).

Buy tickets for Talk Radio now at www.Spotlight-Theater.com (online purchase fees apply) or reserve them on the 24-.hour Ticket Hotline at 708-941-8294.

Correction: Patch had originally listed that 'Talk Radio" was a Pulitzer-winning play. In 1988 the play was nominated, but ultimately "Driving Miss Daisy" by Alfred Uhry won the prize that year. Patch regrets the error.