“Corruption” is an astonishing look at the phone-hacking scandal of News International, the newspaper empire of Rupert Murdoch. From members of Parliament to everyday people, no one was safe.
Set between 2010 and 2011, the play at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 W. 65th Street) is the enthralling and devastatingly poignant new work of J.T. Rogers, based on the book “Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain” by Tom Watson and Martin Hickman.
We see the story of Watson, who is at war with Rebekah Brooks, head of News International. She is going after him through the newspapers that she runs and destroying his life. When he seeks to destroy her, he runs into a lot more than he bargained for and sources come forth to reveal what has been happening for years at News International. Their reaction was to fabricate stories that ruined so many people’s lives. Watson also finds out that going after powerful people comes with a price.
It is quite captivating to watch as sources come forward to declare the horrors that were inflicted on them by this news organization—horrors that Brooks justified. For her, it was all about circulation, not about truth. The characters, from average people to members of Parliament to leading members of the police department, all tread carefully when it comes to News International.
Watching this story unfold is stunning. This play will have you shocked, dismayed, and taken aback by the fact that newspapers will often go to great and unlawful lengths to increase circulation. It dares to ask the question “Who can take down a media empire and at what cost?”
The cast is absolutely terrific. Toby Stephens is superb as Watson. Saffron Burrows is remarkable as the cold, calculating, and self-righteous Brooks. Robyn Kerr is brilliant, engaging, and memorable as Siobhan Watson, Watson’s wife, and also beautifully portrays two other characters: Surrogate and Mrs. Dowler. K. Todd Freeman is phenomenal as Chris Bryant, a gay member of Parliament, who Watson had maligned, but with whom Watson now has to work to take down a bigger foe. Freeman displays his versatility by also portraying the characters of Middle-Aged Man/Simon Kelner.
What is so amazing about this cast is that several members play multiple roles, and carry them off so effortlessly.
The other members of this splendid cast include Dylan Baker, John Behlmann, Anthony Cochrane, Sanjit De Silva, Eleanor Handley, Sepideh Moafi, Seth Numrich, Michael Siberry, and T. Ryder Smith.
This is a play that has to be experienced firsthand. It is filled with action, politics, corruption, harassment, intimidation, arrogance, and fear—you won’t be able to take your eyes off it.
“Corruption” captivates the audience from the opening to the end. It features vibrant projections by 59 Productions/Benjamin Pearcy and Brad Peterson that give that feel of breaking news throughout the play. The production has riveting direction by Bartlett Sher. There are also interesting sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Jennifer Moeller, lighting by Donald Holder, and sound by Justin Ellington.
For more info, visit https://www.lct.org/shows/corruption/.