Talk is a whirlwind of a play that takes on the current state of the news and those who gather it. Talkback radio presenter John Behan (John Walters) has brought a case against alleged sex offender Charles Turner crashing down by revealing on air details of Turner's previous criminal record. When an earnest pair of cops in the form of DI Cochrane (Ben Wood) and PC Fowler (Helen Christinson) turn up to arrest him as a result, he locks the door to the studio and keeps on broadcasting. That, of course, sends the ratings sky high and delights sleazy station boss Max (Andrew Tighe).

The radio station, including Behan's glassed-in cell, dominates the dark upper level of the set while down below a newspaper and what looks suspiciously like the ABC struggle to deal with a story that is now spilling out into all kinds of social media and challenging the old rules of print and radio. For acting editor Julie Scott (Hannah Waterman) at the newspaper and about-to-retire journalist Taffy Campbell (Peter Kowitz) at the public radio station not only is the game changing, but their views of what constitutes analysis and ethics and the power of language are being thoroughly challenged.

Scott is presiding over a dying newspaper where massive journalist sackings are just round the corner and Campbell is faced by the new world of Twitter and blogs in the form of young Danielle Rowesthorne (Paige Gardiner) as he packs up his desk. She's more interested in what is trending than in the truth of a story. He might manage to dig out the truth about the case but it's the medium at last that counts more than the message.

This is all presented with some speed and relish but with a desperate humour at its heart as Turner's situation turns even more tragic than it is. The large cast that also includes Valerie Bader, Lucia Mastrantone and Kenneth Moraleda people the stage convincingly with swiftly sketched characters and conflicting viewpoints, while up above Walters' Behan triumphantly feeds the old "shock jock" tactics into this brave new online world.

Talk doesn't provide any answers but it certainly lines up a mass of questions as the old media personified by Waterman's headline-loving editor and Kowitz's canny journalist try to deal with finding the story just as they have always done. In the face of the new media both characters find that may not be nearly enough.

Biggins' Talk is a play for the here and now. It's not quite stark enough for satire but black enough to stir up the thinking and an excellent reason to visit the Playhouse.