“Corruption” revisits Murdoch phone hacking scandal | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #hacker | #hacking | #aihp

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The 2011 phone-hacking scandal that rocked Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. media empire — revealing widespread police bribery and hacking of public figures in attempts to snag exclusives for Murdoch’s News International titles, including the now-defunct News of the World — is the focus of Lincoln Center Theater’s “Corruption.”

The production by J.T. Rogers, which opened earlier this month and ends its run April 14 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, is based on the the book “Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and The Corruption of Britain,” by Tom Watson, a former British Member of Parliament, and Martin Hickman, a journalist with The Independent.

Watson, played by Toby Stephens in “Corruption,” was a key figure in the phone hacking scandal. As a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee — which the play’s Watson initially mocks as an insignificant assignment, during a scene with his wife (Robyn Kerr) — he’s given the opportunity to question James Murdoch (Seth Numrich) and the infamous and mercurial World of the News editor Rebekkah Brooks (Saffron Burrows). Being on the committee is an assignment Watson soon sees to his advantage, obviously.

Stephen’s Watson and Burrows’ Brooks convey the opposing passion of their characters — essentially the public’s right know/the bottom line versus ethical and moral journalism — let alone the disdain for each other, in a mesmerizing manner.

They also have some of the most snap-worthy lines in the production, eliciting laughter from the audience.

The play does an excellent job of illustrating Brooks’ sphere of power from the get-go. Case in point: it begins with her wedding weekend in the tony English countryside, with a guest list that includes Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Anthony Cochrane), the soon-to-be prime minister David Cameron, and James Murdoch.

It’s also in these beginning moments that the opposing perspectives of Brooks and James Murdoch are established, with Murdoch — who is eager for an acquisition of British satellite broadcaster BSkyB — bluntly tells Brooks, “Newspapers are a relic.” She in turn, in later scenes, mocks social media, such as Twitter.

As the probe continues, Brooks’ tactics are exposed, we learn of the impact of the hacking on every day folks, and eventually, those responsible — including the people and News of the World itself — pay the price for their past newsgathering misdeeds.

“Corruption” runs through April 14 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in Manhattan. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes, including one intermission.