How conspiracy theories spread before the internet, according to Tracy Letts's 'Bug' on Broadway

"Conspiracy theories are literally contagious. Recent research on misinformation and how it goes viral across social networks has revealed remarkable parallels to how diseases spread in populations. It's all the more remarkable, then, that Tracy Letts's Bug was tackling this topic 30 years ago."

"The more time they spend alone together in a dingy Oklahoma motel room, the more they succumb to each other's paranoid delusions. A revival of Bug starring Namir Smallwood and Carrie Coon as the central couple has been wowing audiences at Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre since early January."

"Its success is thanks in no small part to Smallwood and Coon's electrifying chemistry, but it also speaks to the enduring relevance of the subject matter, underscoring how many of the issues that society is dealing with in the age of QAnon, climate denialism, and AI-powered hoaxes aren't entirely new."

Conspiracy theories exhibit contagion patterns similar to disease transmission through populations, as demonstrated by recent misinformation research. Tracy Letts's psychological drama Bug presciently addressed this phenomenon 30 years ago, depicting how paranoid delusions spread between isolated individuals. The play centers on a Gulf War veteran and substance-abusing cocktail waitress whose codependent relationship in an Oklahoma motel room intensifies their shared paranoid beliefs. A current Broadway revival at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre features Namir Smallwood and Carrie Coon, whose chemistry drives the production's success. The revival demonstrates the enduring relevance of the play's themes to contemporary issues including QAnon, climate denialism, and AI-powered hoaxes. The production originated at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, continuing the venue's successful track record of transferring productions to Broadway.

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