The Hatpin at Old Mill Theatre
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Fri 11 Jul 2014 - Sat 26 Jul 2014
In 1892 an eighteen year old unwed mother, Amber Murray, advertised in the
Sydney Morning Herald for a mother to board her young son, Horace.
Unfortunately for her, the advertisement was answered by Sarah Makin, half of Sydney's most notorious 'Baby Farmer' couples. They told her they would look after baby Horace for ten shillings a week. This they continued to receive for weeks, long after they had killed the child. Poor Horace was only one of at least a dozen infants the Makins killed.
Discovered and caught almost by accident the Makins were condemned to death and John was hanged, although Sarah's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with hard labour. She was paroled in 1911 and died seven years later.
This unhappy story would seem to be the the most unlikely subject for a musical, but that is what James Millar (book and lyrics) and Peter Rutherford (composer) did.
It premiered in 2011 in Melbourne and now it's come to the West, to Old Mill Theatre.
Directed by Graeme Johnson, he said: "
The Hatpin is unlike most popular musicals. Deeply powerful and moving, its attraction lies not in flashing lights, catchy tunes or massive dance numbers but in the fact its story is based on one of the darkest cases in our legal history.
"It's definitely not a show for the faint-hearted – this musical makes
Sweeney Todd look like
Annie."
"Fortunately, my behind-the-scenes background in theatre will help me with the actual staging of the show, given it's one of the more technically challenging productions Perth has seen for some time."
Johnson has assembled a highly talented cast including Sarah Cosstick, Andrea von Bertouch, Madeline Shaw and Angelino Schintu (who, billed as Alan Schintu, won Best Actor at the Findleys for his role as Professor Higgins in Marloo's acclaimed
My Fair Lady).
The Hatpin plays at 8pm from July 11th to the 26th with a 2pm matinee July 20. Tickets are $30, $25 concession – book
online or on 9367 8719.
The heritage-listed Old Mill Theatre is on the corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, South Perth (opposite the Windsor Hotel and Australia Post).
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!date 11/07/2014 -- 26/07/2014
%wnperth
191354 - 2023-06-16 03:34:15