INK swallows you whole and spits you out in 1969, a time when a young Rupert Murdoch has just bought The Sun newspaper and plans to make it into a tabloid, appointing Larry Lamb as editor who's been given the job of doing whatever it takes in order to pass The Mirror on sales by the same time next year. A team of working-class individuals, fuelled by whiskey and cigarettes, graft away to give the people what they want - and most importantly what Murdoch and Lamb want. A truly remarkable production that tells you the history of something I would have never acknowledged, until now.

All by the click of Murdoch's fingers, his and Lamb's first meeting is swiftly adapted and changed - the setting changed, waiter recast to a young woman and the truth slightly morphed into something more... entertaining? This was a perfect way to open and create an understanding of what to expect for the duration of the play.

Upon getting the job as editor, Lamb is also given the job of getting together a team. The interview process is made into a comical song and dance, literally. They are then given the job of brainstorming ideas of what they believe people want in a newspaper; the weather, TV listing, gossip and sex - the decision that changed the game. We are taken on a journey of the newspaper's transformation. It's all fun and games, with excitement mounting as they dance through fake news, clickbait headlines to slow but steady success.

The second half of the play could have been shorter content wise, and the outcome would have still been the same. Stretching the story and lengthy silences caused me to zone out in some places only to return and realise I had missed... not much really. Not all was bad though, weirdly, you're rooting for Murdoch, but I believe this is more due to Carvel's projection of him. The Sun also met its final hurdle, the deadline date Larry had been dreading, but sales were met, thanks to the infamous Page 3 girl. However, the production didn't end on a high, and you left feeling deflated, mirroring the action on stage.

Bertie Carvel who starred as Rupert Murdoch, was a true credit to the performance. Capturing every characteristic that Murdoch had from the awkward hand movements, crippled posture and lizard flicking tongue. Whenever he was on stage, your attention was immediately drawn to him.

Richard Coyle also did an incredible job of playing Larry Lamb, showing the determination into getting the sales and doing whatever it takes in order to get there; we witness a man who was able to have a laugh with his colleagues turn into something he didn't want to be. Coyle portrayed this outstandingly and deserved the roaring applause he received at the final curtain.

The set was flawless, the sound of typewriters clattering through the theatre, the mountain of desks (even the tallest one was used which I first believed was only there for visual effect), and the smoke from cigarettes that filled the theatre creating the atmosphere of a working environment.

In conclusion, I could not commend Bertie Carvel enough. I highly recommend that any generation should see it for themselves, apart from the younger ones - a lot of offensive and sexual language is used for the majority of the performance and sitting in the stalls filled you with cigarette smoke, nethertheless… hold the front page on this one, INK will run and run.

Reviewed by Scarlet on 15th October 2017 at Duke of Yorks Theatre https://twitter.com/_londonthe...