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From the moment Liev Schreiber comes blasting onstage, dressed in black and barking profanities, his performance as a shock jock in Talk Radio is diabolically good. But does it prove that he’s “the finest American theater actor of his generation,” as the Times called him last week? With so many extraordinary actors his age still on the rise, it’s hard to agree. But this is no slight to Schreiber, who does something a lot more important here than climb the great-thespian leaderboard. As Barry Champlain, the corrosive call-in host of Eric Bogosian’s play, he establishes himself as something that Broadway has long needed: a genuine, no-fooling, real live drama star. Musical theater has its share of heroes, like Nathan Lane and Audra McDonald. Not so Broadway’s straight plays, where very few actors lately have demonstrated the mix of talent, personality, and audience rapport to generate that kind of star wattage. ­Schreiber has shown in prior roles that he’s got each of those qualities: Here, in his first real leading performance on Broadway, he nails the combination. Schreiber’s great skill, and the main source of his stardom, is his ability to crawl under somebody’s skin. As Barry celebrates the news that his show is going national by spewing even more aggression than usual, Schreiber gets to flash both the stiletto and the machete. — Jeremy McCarter

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New York Magazine Reviews

• Jeremy McCarter's Full Review (3/26/07)

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• 'Talk Radio' Actor Liev Schreiber on Finding Solace in Profanity (2/26/07)