This was immersive theatre in every sense of the word. The immersion begins even before we enter Darlinghurst Court Room 3 as the audience was divided in to three groups.
Once we climbed up to the ‘peanut gallery’ we saw on our left a panel of ladies and head scarves, and to our right were men in 50’s style hats.
The play is based on true events when a model Shirley Beiger was accused of murdering her lover Arthur Griffith with a rifle fired outside the Chequers nightclub.
A judge was recruited from the all male jury to preside over the proceedings with scripted lines provided to him.
We thought that something was afoot when the Crown Prosecutor and Defence Counsel came out in wigs, gowns and high heeled silk stockings.
Built in 1821, Court Room 3 was the actual court where Shirley Beiger stood trial.
Although the Crown Prosecutor and the Defence used parts of the transcript, the performance overlaid the trial with a mixture of vaudeville, pantomime and extremely wicked and acidic satire.
In August 1954 the trial of the Page 3 beauty and her adulterous boyfriend gripped Sydneysiders.
It was such a spectacle that the trial was ‘compered’ by then 2KY broadcaster Lyle Richardson.
Amber McMahon’s Lyle Richardson roamed the court room spouting very funny and irreverent comments, mocking both the defendant and the salacious seeking female audience. These were sprinkled with 50’s references for those who were around such as myself, adding touches of nostalgia and authenticity.
It was a night of merriment and joy with a soundtrack anachronistically made of bands from the 70’s such as AC-DC and Australian Crawl.
The highly entertaining evening also had a touch of cabaret complete with a showgirl and giant feathered fans.
The play was commissioned by Sydney Festival Artistic Director Olivia Ansell, with story by Melanie Tait, and written and directed by Sheridan Harbridge.
The cast played their roles often with a tongue in cheek, droll sense of humour.
Sofia Nolan as the model didn’t have all that much to do but conveyed effectively ‘the girl who was done wrong by’.
Blazey Best, in a dual role, played the mother Edith Beiger and completely unrecognisable as the corny, sexy showgirl.
Also unrecognisable in a dual role was Ryan Morgan who played both Arthur Griffith and the policeman investigating his murder by Detective Blissett.
Crown Prosecutor Knight QC, played by Marco Chiappi and Defence Counsel Phillip Roach, played by Anthony Taufa, seamlessly slipped from serious advocacy to surrealistic showgirl like dancing.
The 110 minute show was a confection of delights with the actors, audience and even the court house enveloped in a bubble of charm, amusement, and absolute pleasure.
I predict that A MODEL MURDER will be seen as one of the highlights of the Sydney Festival and runs until the 25th January 2025.
Don’t miss this unique and highly entertaining experience.
Production photography by Neil Bennett