James Millar and Peter Rutherford’s musical ‘The Hatpin’ shows us the harshness of life in Redfern in the last decade of the 19th century. The play follows the true-life story of a young and tenacious eighteen-year old woman, Amber Murray.
Murray has given birth to a baby boy Horace out of wedlock. At this time in our history, it was a social disgrace for a woman to have an illegitimate infant. The father had abandoned her so Murray had no means to support her child. In the circumstances she had no alternative but to advertise in the local paper for professional foster parents to take care of Horace until she is able to support him. Charles and Agatha Makin respond to her advertisement and she arranges for them to take over Horace’s care whilst she tries to find work.
Murray’s suspicions about the Makin couple are raised, when, week after week, she goes over to the Makin’s to pay them their fee, it is always their teenage daughter Clara who comes to the door. Each time Clara comes up with a different reason why her baby is not there for her to see. What are they hiding?!
This is the set-up to Amber Murray’s dark journey that sees her taking the Makins to court to not only confront them but to take on much higher stakes – to challenge the status of single mothers in a society that shuns them and treats them as pariahs and deviants.
‘The Hatpin’ is an emotionally charged story that has greater impact with it being told in musical form. There are some twenty songs in the score (music by Rutherford, lyrics by Millar) with the highlights being the stirring ballads such as ‘The Hands of Courage’ and ‘Sail’, and the Company numbers.
The current Riverside Lyric Ensemble revival (‘The Hatpin’ premiered at the York theatre, the Seymour Centre in February, 2008) serves this fine Australian musical well.
Craig Stewart, along with musical director Peter Hayward, confidently directs the production and wins strong performances from his cast. Sarah Blackstone gives a focused, moving performance in the lead. Penny Stewart is great as the Harriet Piper, the greengrocer who befriends Murray and offers her much needed work.
Christopher Hamilton and Michele Lansdown give assured, credible performances as the unscrupulous Makins with Erin Clare is excellent as their disturbed but forthright daughter Clara. Clare delivers a show stealing rendition of the title song.
The Parramatta Lyric Ensemble’s production of ‘The Hatpin’ is currently playing the intimate Lennox Theatre venue at the Parramatta Riverside theatres with the closing performance on Saturday 17th April at 8pm.