Like a tabloid newspaper, stories from Murdoch's life are short with an ever-changing cast of characters with sound-bite style, and frequently witty lines. To help the audience keep track of where in his life and times we're up to, AV designer Tom Bogdanowicz uses shots of newspaper headlines and cartoon depictions of the events and players of the day.
Trying to decide how to craft the story, Williamson opted to model it on Shakespeare's Richard III where the eponymous central character talks directly to the audience and, by doing so, shapes their perceptions. But though the drama moves apace and Williamson may be unabashedly left-wing in his politics, Rupert is not a wordy depiction of Murdoch's life.
Instead, it's an irreverent and high-energy cabaret where Murdoch tap-dances his way from early success to his big American breakthroughs, shares a fiery post-Falklands tango with Margaret Thatcher and charms some of the most powerful players of the 20th century. Devenie plays the older Murdoch, who declares it's his story and he'll tell it his way so his first act is to cast a good-looking younger actor (Damien Avery) to portray him.
Williamson has had to amend his script since Rupert's debut to include more on the Leveson Inquiry into Murdoch's News International's phone hacking scandal and his divorce from third wife, Wendi Deng. Director Colin McColl says ATC obtained permission from Williamson to tweak some of the more parochial references to Australian politics while they had lawyers double-check the script for any potential libel pitfalls.
At the Backstage Story, the cast talked animatedly about who they are playing: a who's who of the media and politics with eight actors portraying around 40 characters including former US President Ronald Reagan, various Murdoch family members, business rivals the Packers and disgraced News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks. When actor JJ Fong confessed she plays Wendi Deng, the audience hissed.
Amid laughter, the cast agreed when it comes to the life and deeds of Murdoch and his media empire, it's murky and Machiavellian. But there was pause for thought when the inevitable question was raised: "I'm a bit worried about coming to see this because it might encourage me to like Rupert Murdoch; have you changed your opinion of him?"
Yes, admitted Devenie and director Colin McColl. Rather than seeing him as a pantomime villain, they now respect - perhaps somewhat begrudgingly - Murdoch's indefatigable energy, his astonishing capacity for risk-taking and the courage with which he holds his convictions. A few days later, Devenie and Avery sat down to talk in more detail about playing Murdoch and expand on the complex feelings the man engenders for them.
"You have to admire Murdoch's amazing strength," says Devenie. "He takes, again and again, risks that would destroy most people. I suspect that's how he has become the person he is: he took one risk and it worked and that gave him the courage to take bigger ones. Most successful entrepreneurs would have about seven or eight failures behind them before they finally succeed but that didn't happen to Murdoch so he just kept right on going."
Devenie reckons the media magnate might want fame, fortune and power but it's actually the risking and (usually) winning which have become his main motivation. He's also reflected on where Murdoch's power comes from and concludes we've all played a part in his rise.
"If none of us bought his newspapers or watched his television networks, he wouldn't have accumulated his wealth or his position so who's responsible for his achievements? Is it Murdoch or the people who consume his media? Any critique of Rupert Murdoch is surely a critique of us as consumers."
Avery says it becomes more difficult to judge Murdoch for doing what the free market he so fervently believes in seems to be telling him is right.
"Mine is an interesting role," he says, "because I serve a function in that I'm the voice through which Murdoch tells his story and lets everyone see, from his point of view, what he's had to go through and the lessons he learned along the way. It's not my job to judge the character I'm playing."
"That's the audiences' responsibility," adds Devenie.
Both say though they might have done lighter-hearted cabaret-style plays, there's been nothing on their resumes which combines that approach with such weighty ideas. Neither was reluctant to play the roles, although it's been rumoured other actors have shied away from them.
Rupert, one of the biggest successes of the Melbourne Theatre Company's 2013 year, toured Sydney and Washington DC and was scheduled for a run on London's West End. That hasn't happened yet because, according to industry gossip, there's been trouble casting the lead role as many British actors are allegedly hesitant to play the powerful magnate.
They, along with the rest of the cast (Adam Gardiner, Stephen Lovatt, Arlo MacDiarmid, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Hera Dunleavy and JJ Fong), are more concerned with things like getting the "hellish range" of accents right and navigating the quick date and location changes.
What: Rupert
Where and when: Q Theatre, June 25-July 19
