REVIEW: Ink (Olney Theatre Center / Round House Theatre)
Preview: Round House and Olney kick off their respective 23-24 seasons with Ink, the terrific 2017 James Graham play chronicling the rise of British tabloid The Sun (and its consequences). Theatre about journalism is always a fun experiment, in that while it can either be wickedly boring or mile-a-minute exciting; the best examples make you feel like you’re on the case yourself. Coming in, the primary concern I had was empathy. Murdoch and Co. aren’t exactly known for ethics, you know? Luckily I was mostly blind besides knowing the premise. The show that followed -- in all its nearly 3-hour glory -- was a dubious, twistful look at the rise of a media empire from those actually doing the work, not the businessman who gets the credit, anchored by strong acting and clever writing.
Acting: Superbly cast by Sarah Cooney is an ensemble of performers that each hold their own, no matter the brunt of the book on their characters. Andrew Rein, in his nasally, devilish presence, delivers the performance I absolutely would have expected to best represent someone like Murdoch. Cody Nickell’s Larry Lamb, the main protagonist, is closer to earth and provides the audience with an enrapturing look into the ethical apocalypse he undergoes via his new boss. The newsroom (I’ll go more into this below) is stacked to the brim with entertainment, from Zion Jang’s green affability as Beverly Goodway to Kate Eastwood Norris’ charmingly headstrong Joyce Hopkirk. Yet, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh was my personal standout performance as Brian McConnell. He brings physical humor and energy to the cast that wasn’t necessary, but very welcome, and contrasts it to great success during dramatic turns. 9/10
Book: I will admit, a nearly three (3) hour runtime seemed a bit nuts to me. My impression was that this could be a tight production, maybe a 2-hour one-act if the writing is good enough. But I will say this: the only thing that dragged on was perhaps the final third of Act II. As an overall premise, Ink covers the Murdoch empire from Rupert’s purchase of The Sun in 1969 to when it overtakes the Mirror to be the #1 paper in the UK just a few years later. To its benefit, it barely ever features the man himself; the perspective is almost entirely from Larry Lamb, his editor. In fact, the most interesting characters were the newsroom staff who had uniquely nuanced personalities that felt refreshing and fun. Side plots, such as the paper’s newly-acrimonious relationship with the unions and the Mirror not giving up without a fight, were well-placed and fulfilled their welcome. The dialogue (especially Rupert’s) gets tired after a while and is part of what drags the second act on a bit as mentioned. In his final lines, he drops crumbs of suggestion about his new plans in America like it’s a post-credit scene setting up the Ink Cinematic Universe. By this point of the play, we know his intentions and his general demeanor, so I think this sort of “wink” to the audience was an odd vibe shift. Yet, despite this one nitpick, it remains an exciting work that does amazingly at telling the story of how the big top of our current media circus found its footing. 8/10
Production: My viewing of the show was marred by several technical glitches, such as improperly placed cameras, glitchy projections, and what appeared to be a couple of moments of misplaced blocking that created awkward off-book interactions. Despite this, Tony Cisek’s wonderful set design kept the distractions minimal and the diatribe moving. Making excellent use of the revolving stage — including a particularly entertaining scene where the characters discuss what “real people'' like to talk about — Jason Loewith directs each actor with apt sonder and charisma.The staging additionally is set up with a multitude of side doors and window panels that are obscured via dynamic projection work (Mike Tutaj), all of which coalesce into the collage of rectangles that imitate a press plate for the printer; a great touch. (Also, if someone can tell me what it is exactly that Rupert eats as his “steak”, do let me know; it looks like watermelon? Paging prop department…) 8/10
VisDev: Program art is a harsh red, cleverly mimicking the motifs of the book, with a man reading a newspaper below an “Ink” stylized in different typefaces. It’s giving Succession in a way (unsurprisingly) and is accurate to the vibe of the play, if not too direct. Pre-show staging follows this heavy-handedness by obscuring most of it, leaving only some gritty pewter textures projected against the set and “Ink” blasted onto a removable center panel (interestingly enough, all in a regular lowercase serif). It communicates the ideas effectively, but it does leave some to be desired. 7/10
