A play in search of a Rupert

By Jasper Rees

Actors adore playing a powerful real-life villain. It’s where all the fun is. More than 20 actresses have played Margaret Thatcher, and Michael Sheen got such a buzz from playing Tony Blair that he did it three times. But there’s one role of this type for which no bargepole seems quite long enough. The name Rupert Murdoch is sending shivers down actors' spines.

So says the playwright David Williamson. He is best known internationally for "Up For Grabs", which came to the West End a decade or so back with Madonna in the lead role. Now he's written a play, spanning six decades, called "Rupert". It premiered in Melbourne last year and nipped over to Washington, DC in March, with Sean O'Shea playing Murdoch in both productions. Now it's opening in Sydney, starring James Cromwell. But what about the West End, whither it is destined next year? Apparently they're having casting trouble. “We've found that some actors are actually scared of playing Rupert on stage," Williamson has said. "The man has so much power, and quite understandably, people—and that includes actors—don't want to offend him. He owns Fox Studios, for heaven's sake.”