| Ink | |
|---|---|
| Written by | James Graham |
| Date premiered | June 2017 |
| Place premiered | Almeida Theatre |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | The Sun |
| Genre | Drama |
Ink is a 2017 play by James Graham which premiered in London in 2017.
In October 1969, Australian businessman Rupert Murdoch is in negotiations to purchase the failing British daily newspaper The Sun from its parent paper The Mirror . He approaches The Mirror's Northern editor Larry Lamb and asks him to be the editor of The Sun for its re-launch. Lamb, a working-class Yorkshire native, is frustrated over not being promoted at The Mirror after ten years and reluctantly accepts Murdoch's offer.
Murdoch and Lamb meet with Mirror chairman Hugh Cudlipp to finalize the sale. The contract stipulates that publication must continue uninterrupted after the handover, giving Lamb mere weeks to assemble the first issue. Cudlipp privately reveals to Lamb that he is selling The Sun (as opposed to shutting it down) only to avoid angering local unions. He expects the paper to fail and discourages Lamb from taking the job. Murdoch declares his intent to prioritize profits and proposes that Lamb strive to overtake sales of The Mirror within one year of the re-launch. Murdoch grants Lamb full freedom on the condition that he make the paper "loud", encouraging him to compete aggressively with other papers.
On Fleet Street, Lamb frantically recruits new staff members for The Sun, the former staff having been laid off or re-absorbed into The Mirror. While brainstorming with the new staff, Lamb designs the paper's new logo and proposes new features, several of which are blatant pastiches of The Mirror. He also hires Stephanie Rahn and other models to pose in lingerie for the paper.
Lamb has a chance encounter with Cudlipp, who mocks The Sun's lowbrow content and attempts to copy The Mirror. Convinced that The Mirror does not reflect the mood or interests of common people, Lamb pushes the re-launch of The Sun in a more populist direction that includes frank discussions of sexuality, a television section, and weekly giveaways.
The evening before the re-launch, issues plague the staff, including a lack of enough "E" keys for the full headline and an interviewee's death. Murdoch and his wife Anna visit the office alongside his deputy Sir Alick McKay and his wife Muriel. A power outage delays printing and prevents that day's distribution in the north. Despite the limited distribution and rushed nature of the issue, the paper is an unprecedented success, worrying Cudlipp.
In a televised interview, Murdoch defends The Sun's outrageous content as a manifestation of the will of the masses. At a meeting, Lamb explains to Murdoch how the paper's newfound success has sown hostility in its competitors.
While the Murdochs are visiting Australia, Muriel is kidnapped for ransom. The staff realize that Anna Murdoch was the kidnappers' intended target; the mistake arose after they stalked a Rolls-Royce the Murdochs had lent to the McKays while they were in Australia. Lamb insists on covering the incident in The Sun and publishing the ransom notes, in doing so defying the wishes of his staff, union leaders, and Murdoch himself. Two brothers are arrested for Muriel's abduction and presumed murder. The Sun is widely criticized for its treatment of the tragedy, though sales surge. In a last-ditch effort to take down The Sun, Cudlipp offers to make Lamb editor of The Mirror, but he refuses.
As the one-year anniversary of The Sun's re-launch approaches, sales remain behind that of The Mirror. Lamb asks Rahn to secretly pose for a fully-nude photo shoot, to be printed on Page 3 of The Sun. Rahn consents. The anniversary issue sparks public outrage, ruins Rahn's reputation, and infuriates Murdoch, but successfully outsells The Mirror. Conceding defeat, Cudlipp begins planning his retirement.
Despite his own disapproval and Lamb's reservations, Murdoch allows the Page 3 feature to continue. At a dinner with Lamb, Murdoch proposes that The Sun start appealing to the new conservative government, confident that the paper has the power to sway public opinion. He also tells Lamb his plans to purchase an American television network and relocate The Sun's office off of Fleet Street. He concludes the dinner saying, "People like stories." Lamb imagines that Murdoch will outlive him and someday publish his obituary in The Sun.
Directed by Rupert Goold, the play began previews at the Almeida Theatre on 17 June 2017, with an official opening night on 27 June. It played a limited run to 5 August. [1] The cast included Bertie Carvel as Rupert Murdoch and Richard Coyle as the editor of The Sun , Larry Lamb. Reviews were generally favorable. [2]
The production transferred to the West End at the Duke of York's Theatre, again led by Carvel and Coyle, officially opening on 19 September 2017 following previews from 9 September. It concluded its run on 6 January 2018. [3]
The play made its Broadway premiere on 2 April 2019 (previews), officially on 24 April 2019, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Bertie Carvel reprised his role as Murdoch and Jonny Lee Miller played Larry Lamb. Direction was by Rupert Goold. [4] [5] The play closed on 7 July 2019. [6]
| Character | Off-West End | West End | Broadway |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2019 | ||
| Rupert Murdoch | Bertie Carvel | ||
| Larry Lamb | Richard Coyle | Jonny Lee Miller | |
Michael Billington of The Guardian gave the West End production four out of five stars, writing that it "fairly whizzes along and captures the dizzy excitement of the hot metal era" and "[W]hat makes this such a good and gripping piece of theatre is that it doesn’t preach us sermons about press ethics but leaves us to draw our own conclusions from the known facts." [7] Susannah Clapp was similarly positive in her review, singling out Carvel's performance for praise. [8] Matt Trueman of Variety noted how the production used tabloid tactics in its storytelling. [9]
Reviewing the Broadway production, The Hollywood Reporter 's David Rooney praised the play's resonance with modern audiences and energy, but criticized tonal inconsistencies in the second act. He wrote, "Everything from editorial content to headline-writing to layout and even distribution is depicted with rollicking energy and humor." [10] Ben Brantley of The New York Times praised the cast, writing that, "The show’s most potent chemistry is, as it should be, between Mr. Miller’s Lamb, as he becomes increasingly drunk on the thrill of success at all costs, and Mr. Carvel’s exquisitely manipulative Murdoch." [11]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Evening Standard Theatre Award [12] [13] | Best Play | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Bertie Carvel | Nominated | ||
| Best Design | Bunny Christie | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Laurence Olivier Award [14] | Best New Play | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Bertie Carvel | Won | ||
| Best Director | Rupert Goold | Nominated | ||
| Best Set Design | Bunny Christie | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Tony Awards [15] | Best Play | Nominated | |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Bertie Carvel | Won | ||
| Best Direction of a Play | Rupert Goold | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Play | Bunny Christie | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting Design of a Play | Neil Austin | Won | ||
| Best Sound Design of a Play | Adam Cork | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards [16] | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Play | Rupert Goold | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) | Bunny Christie | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) | Neil Austin | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Bertie Carvel | Nominated | ||
In August 2025, Deadline Hollywood reported that Danny Boyle would direct a film adaptation of the play with James Graham returning as the screenwriter. Guy Pearce and Jack O'Connell are set to portray Murdoch and Lamb respectively. Filming began in October. [17]