“Good night and good luck” was the signature line the late CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow would say at the end of his broadcast. In 2005, George Clooney made the phrase the title of a movie and this month the stage version debuted on Broadway.

In the play Clooney plays Murrow, the journalist who stood up for the truth. This meant going toe-to-toe with Joseph McCarthy, the junior senator from Wisconsin who was all about fear-mongering as he went after anyone associated with Communism.

The play is thought-provoking, especially for the times we live in now. Being a journalist I was naturally drawn to the story. It proves how powerful the media can be when they tell the truth and don’t kowtow to the powers that be. It proves the necessity of a strong, independent Fourth Estate. It proves that bullies and liars need to be put in their place.

I had the good fortune to see the play on April 5, the third night it was open in New York City.

I looked into getting tickets before leaving California, with some going for $1,000. I never thought I was going to be in that theater.

I didn’t know standing room tickets were a thing until my niece told me. For $69 this was a bargain and money well spent. (Thanks, mom.)

While the show is selling out and initial reviews were mostly positive, I’m not sure this will be a play that resonates with the masses even though I wish it would.

Parallels to the strife within this country now are easy to draw. This play is as much about life 70 years ago as it is today. The collage of video clips that interrupts Murrow/Clooney’s monologue is more than proof of history repeating itself.

I found this play powerful and hopeful. Hopeful in that we the people will grab the mantle and not sit idly by.