Confession: I live, eat, dream (though sometimes they are nightmares) everything Kings Cross Darlinghurst Surry Hills and their history, and lived across these suburbs for most of my adult life.
So the names of Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine are no strangers to me. Do you know who they were?
In DEADHOUSE: Tales of Sydney Morgue we can immerse ourselves in some classic Australian true crime. The latest production The Razor Gang Wars: The Rise of Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh by Liviu Monsted takes us into the 200 year old Crypt of St James Church Sydney for an immersive night of theatre where the audience experiences the stories of these and other Darlinghurst and Kings Cross 'ladies' in a very different and interesting way.
It’s a decade after the Great War and a new war is brewing in Sydney, the war between the Razor Gangs.
Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine have conquered the underworld, but when Norman Bruhn makes a bid to overturn the backstreets of Razorhurst, a war of deceit and violence erupts.
Amid the chaos stands Lillian Armfield, Australia’s first police woman. Lillian forms a strong bond with sex worker Nellie Cameron and ultimately must face Snow Queen Kate Leigh and Queen of the Bordello Tilly Devine to earn her place on the force and change the face of women in the police forever.
With these females at the fore, our small handful of quiet observers move from the Church Courtyard through the rooms of the Crypt to get to know about these women intimately. The show although factual doesn't feel docu-drama rather it feels more like you are immersed in a reality show. Move over Kardashian family, you ain't got nothing on the rise of organised crime in 1920s Sydney.
While there are some blokes in the cast, it is definitely the woman actors who make us shake in our boots, Alexandra Smith unsettles us with her crazy lady Tilly, and we are daunted by Deidre Campbell as the stoic Snow Queen Kate. Kate Leigh was also known for her acts of generosity to the unemployed and her softer side is revealed in this amazing local play. Wendi Lanham gives us a piercing performance as prostitute Nelly. And Donna Randall does an enormous job in the role of Armfield, metamorphising with the years as she progresses in the police force. Subtle changes but noteworthy, as is the believable dialogues from Monsted that do make you feel like you were/are really there. Interspersed through the action, are little facts that give us background, and it is the sensational Kyla Ward who beckons us further into the Crypt.
The initial 3 week season of Razor Gang Wars sold out, but now the season is extended and more tickets are available. Be quick.
Truly an historic Sydney experience that no one who calls Sydney home should miss.
Photo credit Phyllis Photography
