Description
Book SynopsisThe press and politicians. A delicate relationship. Too close, and danger ensues. Too far apart, and democracy itself cannot function. Pravda (which means truth) is a satire written at the height of Thatcherism when huge political changes were afoot. The play essentially studies, through black humour and close scrutiny, the tabloid ethic and the media industry as a get-rich-quick-fix. In the programme for the original 1985 production of
Pravda, Brenton wrote: Pravda means ''the truth''. English newspapers aren''t propaganda sheets. The question is, why do so many of them choose to behave as if they are?The character of Lambert Le Roux is a South African newspaper tycoon and the owner of several companies, striding his way through the regional papers en route to Fleet Street. Turning broadsheets tabloid, dumbing down the message, and stretching the truth, Le Roux takes no prisoners as he manipulates politicians and creates a media monopoly out of a once-respected in
Trade ReviewPravda is an epic comedy - part
The Front Page, part
Arturo Ui - in which a press baron resembling Rupert Murdoch . . . does battle with over thirty characters as he conquers Fleet Street journalism and, by implication, liberal England's soul. * New York Times *
