''The Hatpin'' is a musical by
James Millar (book and lyrics) and
Peter Rutherford (composer). It was inspired by the true story of Amber Murray who in 1892 gave up her son to the
Makin family in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Written and developed in 2006–2007, ''The Hatpin'' opened at the York Theatre,
Seymour Centre
The Seymour Centre is a multi-purpose performing arts centre within the University of Sydney in the Australian city of Sydney. It is located on the corner of City Rd and Cleveland St in Chippendale, just south-west of the city centre.
The b ...
in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
on 27 February 2008. The musical has received subsequent productions in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Synopsis
''The Hatpin'' is the true story of a single mother, Amber Murray, who advertised her baby in a newspaper trading column in the hope of saving his life.
Baby farmer
Baby farming is the historical practice of accepting custody of an infant or child in exchange for payment in late-Victorian era, Victorian Britain and, less commonly, in Australia and the United States. If the infant was young, this usually in ...
s take the child in return for regular support payments, but in fact murder the child. Eventually the evil couple are arrested and tried for the murder of several infants - leading to one of the most moving criminal trials in Australian history. Using the moral support she gains from her friendship with the free-spirited Harriet Piper, Amber fights the injustices of circumstance and tragedy to find hope and strength.
Productions
The original Australian production of ''The Hatpin'' opened at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
on 27 February 2008, produced by
Neil Gooding Productions and
White Box Theatre. It starred
Melle Stewart,
Peter Cousens
Peter Cousens (born 2 November 1955) is an Australian actor and singer born in Tamworth, New South Wales. He is the Artistic Director of the Talent Development Project. He attended The Armidale School in Armidale from 1969 to 1973 and then Go ...
,
Michelle Doake,
Gemma-Ashley Kaplan,
Caroline O'Connor and
Barry Crocker
Barry Hugh Crocker (born 4 November 1935
Official Barry Crocker website) is an Australian character actor, televisio ...
.
''The Hatpin'' made its US premiere on 15 September 2008 at the American Theatre of Actors in the Chernuchin Theatre as a participant of the
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) was an annual three-week summer festival that operated from 2004 to 2019. It presented more than 30 new musicals a year in New York City's midtown theater district. More than half were chosen by leading theate ...
.
Caroline O'Connor followed ''The Hatpin'' overseas to reprise her role of Harriet Piper, as did
Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, who returned to play Clara Makin.
In 2011 ''The Hatpin'' made its Melbourne premiere with
Magnormos
Magnormos is an independent musical theatre production company based in Melbourne, Australia, that specialises in musicals written by Australian writers and lesser-known international works. Its productions have included the Australian premiere of ...
at
Theatre Works, St. Kilda, with a season from 16 to 28 May. Directed by Shaun Kingma with musical direction by
Sophie Thomas, the production's cast included
Samantha Morley
Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain.
Specu ...
as Harriet Piper, Philip Gould as Charles Makin,
Sophie Collins
Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise".
People with the name Born in the Middle Ages
* Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson
* Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess of ...
as Agatha Makin,
Emma Jones as Clara Makin, and
Gemma-Ashley Kaplan who this time played the role of Amber Murray.
The musical received a London fringe production from 30 October to 24 November 2012 at the
Blue Elephant Theatre, in a Heather Doole, Blue Elephant & Greenwich Theatre co-production in association with Lazarus Theatre. Additional cast members Ziggie Sky Ward, Grace Lewis, Elly Lowney, and Linda Taimre appeared as Abigail Holt, Sarah McFarland, Elizabeth Hope, and Mary Edwards, respectively.
The West Australian premiere of ''The Hatpin'' took place at South Perth's Old Mill Theatre from 11 July to 20 July 2014. Tim Prosser, Nicholas Cruse, Mitchell Crouch, David Cosgrove, and Luke Heath all appeared in minor roles.
Roles and principal casts
Musical numbers
;Act 1
*"Hymn" – Cast
*"Twisted Little Town" – Cast
*"Puddles" – Amber Murray
*"Holding You" – Amber Murray
*"Work" – Amber Murray and Cast
*"Bad Fruit" – Harriet Piper and Amber Murray
*"Knock Knock Knock" – Cast
*"Enough" – Amber Murray
*"Knock Knock Knock (Reprise)" – Cast
*"Gathering Sirens" – Minnie Davies, Marianne Leonard, Rebecca Rigby and the Makins
*"Steal Away" – Charlie and Agatha Makin
*"Underscore / Twisted Little Town (Reprise)" – Minnie Davies, Marianne Leonard and Rebecca Rigby
*"The Hand of Courage" – Harriet Piper and Amber Murray
*"Digging Up" – James Hanoney and Cast
;Act 2
*"Holding You (Reprise)" – Amber Murray
*"So Much More Than Me" – Amber Murray
*"Why Did I Give Him Away?" – Amber Murray, Minnie Davies, Marianne Leonard and Rebecca Rigby
*"Headline (2)" – Cast (Press Agents)
*"Sail" – Harriet Piper and Clara Makin
*"Something Like Being a Mother" – Harriet Piper
*"Natural Causes" – Thomas Williamson, Charlie and Agatha Makin and Press Agents
*"Headline (3)" – Press Agents
*"The Hatpin" – Clara Makin
*"The Verdict" – Cast and Justice Stephen
*"Finale: Tiny Glow / Sail (Reprise)" – Cast
Recording
An original cast album was released in 2008 by
Neil Gooding Productions.
Track listing
Awards and nominations
* 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards
** Best New Australian Work –
Peter Rutherford and
James Millar (nominee)
** Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical –
Michelle Doake (winner)
** Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical –
Gemma-Ashley Kaplan (nominee)
* 2011 Melbourne
Green Room Awards
The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne.
The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...
**
Best Female Artist in a Featured Role (Music Theatre) –
Emma Jones (winner)
References
External links
*
Magnormos site – Melbourne premiere
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatpin
2008 musicals
2008 plays
Australian musicals
Musicals inspired by real-life events
Sydney in fiction
Plays based on actual events
Fiction set in 1892