A new docudrama at London's King's Head theatre revisits the bitter 1986-87 Wapping dispute between Rupert Murdoch and print union leader Brenda Dean. Written by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky, 'In the Print' portrays the media tycoon's use of a fake newspaper, The London Post, to secretly establish a deunionised printing plant.
The play, directed by Josh Roche, captures the tense stand-off as Murdoch sought to reform newspaper production, clashing with Dean, general secretary of Sogat. The audience included former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, who features in the drama, alongside younger viewers unfamiliar with the era.
Alan Cox offers a nuanced portrayal of Murdoch as both pragmatist and fanatic, while Claudia Jolly brings natural likability to Dean, making her surprising actions more impactful. Russell Bentley shines as Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, paired with an Australian Murdoch apparatchik.
The script occasionally succumbs to hindsight irony, such as a comment about Labour's new communications director 'Peter' Mandelson being reliable. The biggest laugh comes from Kinnock's joke about mining union leader Arthur Scargill.
Khan and Salinsky's previous works include 'Kingmaker' and 'The Gang of Three'. 'In the Print' leaves audiences to decide whether Dean was outplayed by a cleverer capitalist or if militant unionism was already doomed by Thatcherite reforms.
