Their show garnered a rave review in the Crimson and featured a Sultan and his Harem, a countess, and, among others, a genie whose signature song was “You Rub Me the Right Way.”
After graduating from Harvard, Sagal moved to Los Angeles. Between odd jobs—like performing as an extra on a Michael Jackson music video and writing a screenplay on commission which would eventually become Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights—Sagal also spent time pursuing his passion for playwriting.
Much in contrast to his Hasty Pudding roots, Sagal said he enjoys writing “funny plays about serious topics.”
As Bravin put it, Sagal is interested in very serious theater. “Theater that puts you to sleep serious,” Bravin said.
Sagal moved to Minnesota in the early 1990’s after winning a playwriting fellowship. While in Minnesota, Sagal wrote his most successful and well-known play, “Denial,” which focuses on the issue of Holocaust denial. According to Sagal, the play is meant to explore the reasons why Holocaust denial is so bothersome.
“If you really want to piss off a Jewish person,” Sagal said, “try saying the Holocaust didn’t happen.”
ROAD TO RADIO
Two years later, in 1997, after moving to Brooklyn, Sagal got a phone call asking him to be a panelist on a new NPR show called “Wait, Wait... Don’t Tell Me.” Sagal soon replaced Dan Coffey, the original host, in 1998 and has been at the helm of the program for the last fourteen years.
“Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me” is a weekly game show, featuring a three-person rotating panel, in which contestants are asked to answer questions about the past week’s news. It features guests like actors, political figures, and journalists.
Since premiering in January 1998, the show has gained a weekly audience of 2.6 million and took home a Peabody Award in 2008.
Although Sagal never anticipated a career on radio, he said he is quite pleased with his job. “I get to write jokes about stuff going on in the news, which is what I would do anyway,” he said.
Panelists pointed to Sagal’s ability to foster chemistry between panelists and guide the show effectively as reasons for its success.
According to them, the rapport between Sagal and the panelists is the lifeblood of the show.
“One of the great joys of my life is throwing Peter off his game—I like the look on his face,” said Paula Poundstone, frequent panelist and professional comedian.
—Staff writer Benjamin M. Scuderi can be reached at bscuderi@college.harvard.edu.