Who is the Playwright Behind Rupert Murdoch, Coming Soon to Off-Broadway Theater?

If you watched HBO’s Succession, you may think you know who Rupert Murdoch is.

It’s said that the show was based on the Australian-born media mogul who is, according to Forbes, worth $23.5 billion. The fictionalized version, though, doesn’t hold a candle to the life of the nonagenarian who dedicated the past seven decades to building a global media empire focusing on journalism, politics, and pop culture, and creating a live-out-loud personal life worthy of the tabloids he owns via News Corp.

When you live on the world stage, it only stands to reason that someone would bring your story to an actual stage.

The script for Murdoch “was left at the door of Theater555 overnight in a plain manila envelope addressed to me,” said Eric Krebs, general manager of Eric Krebs Theatrical Management. Active in the off-Broadway world for almost 50 years, Krebs continued, “Inside I found a script with a note that said the playwright wanted to remain anonymous, but I was welcome to produce the play. I read the play, and discovered a marvelous jigsaw of a drama.”

Straus Media sat down with Krebs as well as the show’s director, Christopher Scott, and the play’s star, Australian-born Jamie Jackson, who earned his MFA from NYU’s Graduate Music Theatre Writing Program and has since compiled an impressive list of credits on stage, TV, and film. We wanted to pinpoint the allure of a man who literally rules the media world.

So, is the author really anonymous or is this a publicity stunt?

Eric: This is a real thing. I did get the script anonymously, but had to find out who it was, because there are contracts that have to be done. I am sworn to silence as to where it came from. 


As an actor, is it odd not being able to collaborate with the writer? 


Jamie: This is something we’re going to have to confront. It’ll be interesting to see how that works.

What was it about this script that made you give it the green light?

Eric: I am always very interested in plays that discuss public issues and are fun at the same time. You know, good theater. [Murdoch]’s truly relevant right now. Maybe a little controversial. That’s what the theater is for.

Is the whole thing factual?

Eric: Everything about the evolution of Rupert Murdoch and the history of his rise is documented until the second half of the play, which goes into a fictionalized presentation that I’m not going to say a lot more about, except to say there’s a Frankenstein moment.

With one actor carrying the show, how did you find your star?

Eric: I’ve been thinking of what I could put [Jamie] in where he would be the star. He’s immensely talented. I thought this would be a great marriage.

Jamie: Eric rang me and asked if I would be interested in looking at the script. I thought it was terrific . . . provocative and interesting, and being Australian myself, I thought this is something I could really dig my teeth into. Most of us make decisions, and they affect a small number of people. Whereas decisions [Murdoch]’s made over 94 years have affected millions, if not billions, and so that’s a big legacy to examine. [The script] seems to have a lot of insight about the goings-on of the inner workings of the family. I think there is an appetite to know what’s behind this mercurial figure.

Christopher: Jamie’s got a great, vibrant persona.

Eric: [Aside from the main role of Murdoch], he plays about 30 characters in this and is dedicated to creating a different personality for each one, which will, I hope, show off his astonishing acting abilities.

Let’s talk staging.

Eric: We have a very simple set but a very complex surround of video projection that tracks the whole rise and discussion of Rupert Murdoch through the years.

Christopher: It’s not a huge theater. The action is very close to the audience. So it feels very personal in that way, just the relationship from the stage to the audience. I think the nature of the play, when you see it, starts in a very formal way, and then it starts to reveal things through the character’s behavior within the play. So that’s kind of how it becomes intimate. 


How does this 90-minute format allow you to tell the story of someone who’s been around for 94 years?

Christopher: [The format] forces and allows the audience to focus on a specific aspect of this person’s life. It’s not a travelogue. It’s through the actions of the play and the behavior of the characters that the story is revealed.

Jamie: It plucks out moments or events that highlight this very influential role [Murdoch]’s played through history.

How do you envision the audience’s role in this “live interview” format?

Christopher: That’s part of a surprise. The characters eventually are able to connect with the audience in a direct way at points. 


Is the portrayal leaning toward sympathetic or critical? When the audience leaves the theater, how will they feel about Rupert Murdoch? 


Jamie: My goal would be that the audience walks out and thinks that the most important among us often have the biggest flaws; that to attain great heights, often you have to have an ambition that is rare and perhaps blinds you to some things. I’d love the audience to leave thinking this is a complicated person.

Murdoch: The Final Interview will be performed at Theater555, 555 W. 42nd St. (between Tenth and Eleventh avenues). Previews begin Sept. 12. The show opens Sept. 28th and runs until Dec. 28, 2025. https://murdochthefinalinterview.com/

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel The Last Single Woman in New York City.