The story of the Packer family is well-known, at least from the outside, given the broad media coverage. Writer Tommy Murphy has aimed to frame that story by focussing on the business world of the Packer empire, with the father-son dynamic as the play’s guiding force. In doing so, he has elected to use an all-male cast. There’s plenty of real-life drama to put on stage, and Murphy has clearly done his research, but in exploring the characters he doesn’t get under their skin enough to make a strong emotional impact.

Josh McConville and John Howard. Photograph © Brett Boardman

Directed by Belvoir Artistic Director Eamon Flack, Packer & Sons begins with a briefly revealed tableau, which drew a roar of approval from the opening night crowd. The eruption of laughter made it hard to adjust quickly to the frenetic scene that followed (after a longish blackout), where Kerry Packer is on the ground having had a heart attack at the polo, which leaves him clinically dead for six minutes. Establishing the right tone for scenes proved problematic now and then, at least on opening night. What’s more, if you didn’t know about...