“An engaging production that prints the legend, but struggles to find the soul of the story.”
Following their dive into 1970s high-stakes politics with The Gang of Three, writing duo Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky return to the 20th century with In The Print. This time, the battlefield isn’t Westminster, but the press rooms of Fleet Street. The play charts the seismic Wapping dispute, where Rupert Murdoch took on the formidable print unions and fundamentally reshaped the British media landscape.
The script itself is undeniably tight and maintains a pacey energy that keeps the production moving along. Khan and Salinsky have a clear ear for sharp, punchy dialogue, and there is an evident effort to infuse the proceedings with humor. However, the production often feels like a play designed for an exclusive club of political aficionados. Much of the comedy relies heavily on a pre-existing syllabus of 1980s political trivia, and the jokes frequently fall flat for those lacking that specific historical context. At one point, a recurring gag involving a trade union leader reciting poetry veers into the surreal. While this is presumably intended as a nod to a real-life eccentricity, it feels jarring and alienating for audience members who weren’t there to witness the original events. For those born after the era depicted, many of the play’s satirical targets and specific character references remain frustratingly elusive.
While the historical narrative is undoubtedly compelling, the show struggles to bridge the gap between factual chronology and genuine character development. The play frequently prioritizes the “what” of history over the “why” of the human experience. We witness characters make massive, life-altering decisions, yet these shifts occur with little psychological foundation. The script seems to assume that because these events happened in reality, they do not require further explanation on stage. Consequently, we see precious little of the internal conflict or the difficult deliberations one would expect from such monumental turning points. The characters often feel like passive observers caught in the slipstream of history, acting as if events are simply happening to them rather than being driven by their own personal ambitions or fears.
The production is bolstered, however, by a cast that brings a great deal of commitment to the stage. While the roles themselves may not offer the deepest opportunities for nuance, the actors provide strong, grounded performances. Alan Cox is particularly effective as Rupert Murdoch, imbuing the media mogul with a chilling, quiet sense of menace that anchors the play’s central tension. Opposite him, Claudia Jolly gives a fierce and commanding performance as the militant union leader Brenda Dean, playing off Cox with impressive energy. Meanwhile, Alasdair Harvey offers an amusingly accurate impression of Andrew Neil; he successfully manages to capture the vocal mannerisms of the editor without ever allowing the performance to cross the line into cartoonish parody.
Visually, the production is well-served by its staging. A simple, static set allows the audience’s attention to remain entirely focused on the dialogue and the performances, and the costuming is effectively evocative, grounding the show firmly in the aesthetic of the 1980s.
In conclusion, In The Print is a solid, well-performed piece of dramatized history, yet it seems to lack that elusive spark that provides a truly urgent reason for its existence. Beyond simply recounting an interesting story from the recent past, the play’s own point of view remains somewhat unclear. It tells the story efficiently, but it fails to say something new or profound about the mechanics of power. If you are already well-versed in the history of the 1980s newspaper industry and would like to see these events dramatized in an entertaining, straightforward fashion, this is absolutely the show for you. However, if you are not already familiar with the primary movers and shakers of that era, you might find that reading a standard Wikipedia article on the Wapping dispute offers an equally compelling, if less theatrical, experience.
In The Print is playing at the Kings Head Theatre 1st April – 3rd May. Tickets are available here.