Mark’s Score: 3.5 stars
The Roaring Twenties seem to fascinate story tellers. Its decadence was freely portrayed in American and European silent. Gangster plots were plundered in early sound film and parodies like Some Like It Hot, some 30 years, have become classics. On stage the early plays of Noel Coward highlighted its sophistication, while in America the actress and playwright Mae West was in and out of the courts for her blatant sexy satires. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby continues to entertain and the last 10 years have seen high ratings for TV dramas such as Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders. In Australia we have had the period astutely recreated, and with great contrast, via The Phryne Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and the Underbelly Series.
Indeed it is that world of gangland murder, prostitution, sly grog and the drug trade that is revisited in the musical theatre piece Razorhurst. This local story depicts the relationship between those two infamous queens of Sydney’s underworld – Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh. These larger-than-life characters have inspired other theatre artists such as Vashti Hughes’ Mums In at the Kings Cross Bordello Theatre 7 years ago and playwright Peter Kenna’s 1959 The Slaughter of St Teresa’s Day – based in part on the adventures of Tilly and became an early Australian TV drama (1960). One can imagine that this notoriety rubbed salt into Kate’s wounds who was virtually on her deathbed at the time. It is this rivalry that is explored by director Benita De Wit, actors Amelia Cormack and Debora Krizak, assisted by Danielle Maas’ dramaturgy.
Utilising magic realism the two dastardly dames appear together years after their deaths and through highly dramas dialogue and song recount the ups and downs of their individual lives and the explosives times their paths crossed. Cormack portrays Devine with copious amounts of vim and vigour while Krizak’s Leigh is a stunning virago of a woman. The songs are delivered with great panache, often with quite witty lyrics, the bigger emotional ballads being very effective. Musical direction and accompaniment from Lucy Bermingham is always sharp. De Wit ensures the battle between them is potent throughout, though the material at times does not allow sufficient respite from their feuding. Set and costume by Isabel Hudson evoke the period with great skill. Benjamin Brockman’s lighting creates a dusty caged in world and Tegan Nicholls’ sound design is subtle and clear- gunshot has never sounded so good.
While the narrative does focus mostly on a litany of gory incidences, there is reflection on the alleged good works Devine and Leigh performed for the community, another element of contest between them. In conversation De Wit has been surprised by the myriad of tales that have come her way from people who can attest to their philanthropy. In fact my own family lore has it that an aunt of ours (a still active retired 92-year-old nun) while visiting impoverished relatives on Devonshire St Surry Hills in the mid 1940s was complemented by Tilly on her dazzling blue eyes, given a much needed food parcel and then chauffeur-driven home to Maroubra.
The unique position these women held in Sydney is well fleshed out in the story. Their crimes are ever present and not excused. We witness perhaps two sides of the one person – Devine relishing in her fame and Leigh reminding us of the woes a victim of circumstance is subjected to. This two-hander is possibly more a cabaret with the songs taking precedence. There are times when the songs do not naturally evolve from the dialogue thereby not extending the mood of the piece. However the performances are powerful and the resolve is quite touching.
For those who enjoyed Underbelly:Razor on television some years back Razorhurst is a fine companion piece. High praise to the producers for bring us much needed Australian stories.
Mark G Nagle – Theatre Now Sydney
Photography: JOHN MCRAE
Razorhurst
Book & Lyrics by Kate Mulley, Music by Andy Peterson
14 Jun – 13 Jul 2019
Tue – Sat 7:30pm
Sat 2pm matinee
Mon 6:30pm
Venue: Hayes Theatre
Theatre Company: Hayes Theatre Co
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes – no interval
Australian Premiere
From the 1920s until the 1930s, two vice queens, Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine, ruled the Darlinghurst underworld. Their rivalry was infamous, leading to a litany of violent crimes enacted by their razor gangs as each struggled to gain dominance in a world of sly grog, narcotics and prostitution.
In 2019, Kate Leigh’s former sly grog shop is about to reopen as a trendy coffee spot. The shop is being gutted for renovation, but there are still ghosts in the walls who aren’t done settling old scores.
Razorhurst explores what it means to be a woman in a man’s world, forced into a life of crime by circumstance. At turns crass and hilarious, Razorhurst is a “compelling meditation on the explosive cocktail of gender, class, and power underlying an infamous period in the history of crime” (Newark Star-Ledger).
RAZORHURST
Was Commissioned by and received its World Premiere at
Luna Stage, West Orange, New Jersey
Cheryl Katz, Artistic Director
Razorhurst is part of the 2011 Postcode offer. Residents of 2011 can obtain half price tickets 30 minutes prior to performances Mon-Thurs with proof of address. Subject to availability.
Director Benita de Wit
Musical Director Lucy Bermingham
Starring Amelia Cormack & Debora Krizak
Photography Marnya Rothe
Ticket Prices
$55 – $65
