Gore Vidal dies: Cultural icon made his mark on Broadway

Our take: The entertainment world lost a cultural icon, Gore Vidal who passed away Tuesday at 86 years old. He was involved in not only acting and screenwriter, but he was also a playwright and novelist.

Vidal's career as a playwright is notable primarily for his satire "The Best Man." The play, which depicts the machinations behind a fictional presidential convention, was revived last season on Broadway, with a cast that included James Earl Jones, Candice Bergen and John Larroquette. The production, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York, is set to run through September.

In many ways, "The Best Man" is emblematic of Vidal himself — funny, scathing and rooted in a jaundiced view of the American political system. First performed on Broadway in 1960, the play was also revived in 2000, another presidential election year.

Read more about Gore Vidal on The LA Times.