The new play “Good Night, and Good Luck” will air its penultimate Broadway performance live on CNN from the Winter Garden Theatre. This announcement marks a historic Broadway first: Never before has a performance of a play ever been televised live. The telecast performance will take place on June 7 at 7 p.m. eastern time across all CNN properties.
“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to do something that’s never been done,” said George Clooney, the play’s co-author and star, in a statement. “CNN is the perfect place to bring this story of courage to so many more people than we could have ever hoped. Live TV. No net. Buckle up everyone.”
“‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ is not just a celebration of a golden age in TV journalism,” added Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN. “It’s also about the importance of the free press and the need for strong news organizations to report the facts in a fair-minded way. That’s something we still care deeply about.”
The airing will begin with special pre-show coverage outside the theater. Following the telecast, CNN will host an exclusive “Good Night, and Good Luck” special to discuss the production and state of global journalism. The broadcast will be executive produced by Clooney and his co-author, Grant Heslov, along with Deena Katz, Todd Wagner and Jeff Skoll.
Clooney makes his Broadway debut as Edward R. Murrow in the play, which showcases Murrow’s infamous on-air showdown with Senator Joseph McCarthy. The play is adapted from Clooney and Heslov’s 2005 film.
“Good Night, and Good Luck” is scheduled to end its Broadway run on June 8, the afternoon before the 2025 Tony Awards, of which “Good Night, and Good Luck” is nominated for five.
David Cromer is the director of the play, which began previews on March 12 and officially opened on April 3. The play’s producers announced the recoupment of its $9.5 million investment on May 12.
“Good Night, and Good Luck” is produced by Seaview, Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Jean Doumanian and Robert Fox.
