The Hatpin (musical)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hatpin is a new musical, written in 2005 by Peter Rutherford (Music) and James Millar. (Book & Lyrics).
It is based on the true story of Amber Murray. The Hatpin is a tale of great friendship between two women, borne out of tragedy.
It is a dramatic thriller that deals with the notions of motherhood, companionship thriving under extraordinary pressure, and self-liberty. Essentially, it is a story about the resilient nature of the human spirit in times of great loss.
The story of Amber Murray and The Makins was influential in bringing about an awareness in Australian society of the need for welfare for single-mothers and the demand for an Australian Child Protection Act..
Contents |
[edit] History Of The Show
On the 24th of November 2005, a workshop presentation of The Hatpin occurred at the Seymour Centre in Sydney:
CREATIVE
Authors: Peter Rutherford & James Millar
Producer: Jennifer Peers
Director: Neil Gooding
Musical Director: Peter Rutherford
CAST
Amber Murray – Melle Stewart
Harriet Piper – Sophie Carter
Agatha Makin – Amanda Muggleton
Clara Makin – Amelia Cormack
Charles Makin – Stephen Collins
Horace Murray- Alexander Lewis
Edward Cleary – Luke Barron
Catherine – Jennifer Peers
Marianne Leonard – Beck Corley
Rebecca Potter – Callie Gray
Murdoch – Matthew Leonard
Fuller / Constable – Nathan Carter
James Hanoney/Justice Stephen – Christopher Tomkinson
Runner – Matthew Withers
Citizen - Andrea Getley
Since 2005, there have been numerous re-writes of The Hatpin. Some of the songs and characters have been trimmed to make the show more compact. There are also several new songs that are now included.
The new version of The Hatpin is going to be given a reading in Sydney on Monday the 7th of May. This is an important step in the development of the musical. The cast for this reading is as follows:
CAST
Amber Murray – Melle Stewart
Harriet Piper – Sophie Carter
Agatha Makin – Lara Mulcahy
Clara Makin – Amelia Cormack
Charles Makin – Rodney Dobson
Mr. Cleary/Murdoch – Tyran Parke
James Hanoney/Justice Stephen – TBC
Minnie Davis – Jennifer Peers
Marianne Leonard – Lauren Easton
Rebecca Potter – Naomi Bourke
Horace - Shaun Rennie
Information, updates and news can be found at the new website and Myspace sites for The Hatpin:
[edit] Characters
AMBER MURRAY A frail-looking, 18 year old. Homeless. Single mother of Horace.
HARRIET PIPER A fruit shop owner. Educated and cheeky, full of fun. 30-35
AGATHA MAKIN A warm and cheerful woman. 45-55
CLARA MAKIN Her spoilt and sassy daughter. 16
CHARLES MAKIN Husband of Agatha. Sophisticated, charming, kind and stately but often lost in a strange, vague world of his own. 45-55
MR CLEARY A young, handsome newspaper columnist. 20-30 / MURDOCH An upstart attorney. 20-30 (Both Played By Same Actor)
JAMES HANONEY A drainer. 40-55 / JUSTICE STEPHEN A dry-witted judge. 40-55 (Both Played By Same Actor)
HORACE Amber’s Image of Horace Murray A Young Man. Beautiful voice.
MINNIE DAVIS Hard hearted, sturdy young woman. 25-30
MARIANNE LEONARD Quiet, defensive woman. 18-25
REBECCA POTTER Timid, shy woman. 18-25
THE TOWN CITIZENS Played by all available members of the above company (or extra ensemble)
[edit] The Songs
Demo recordings of several of the songs from The Hatpin can be found at:
ACT ONE
Overture - Instrumental
Hymn – Citizens
Twisted Little Town – Harriet, Minnie, Rebecca, Marianne, Clara, Charles, Agatha, Citizens
Puddles – Amber, Harriet
Generosity – Cleary, Charles
Giving Up – Marianne, Minnie, Rebecca
Hymn Reprise – Agatha,
Puddles Reprise – Amber
Work – Amber, Harriet, Citizens (Playing Various Roles)
Bad Fruit / When He Was Here – Harriet, Amber
Knock Knock Knock – Citizens
Enough – Amber, Cleary
Knock Reprise – Citizens
Gathering Sirens - Marianne, Minnie, Rebecca
Steal Away – Charles, Agatha
One Shot At Today – Harriet
These Things – Merchants, Citizens
So Much More Than Me - Amber
ACT TWO
Digging Up – James, Ensemble
Isn’t That…? – Citizens
So Much More Than Me Reprise – Amber
Holding You – Amber, Horace
Scandal 1 – Citizens
Why Did I Give Him Away? – Amber, Rebecca, Minnie, Marianne
Scandal 2 – Citizens
Sail – Harriet, Agatha
Something Like Being A Mother – Harriet
Natural Causes – Charles, Agatha
Scandal 3 – Citizens
The Hatpin – Clara
Verdict – Ensemble
Little Soldier – Amber, Harriet, Horace
Finale: The Tiny Glow / Sail Reprise – Amber, Horace, Harriet, Ensemble
[edit] Synopsis
ACT 1
The Brink of Winter, 1892. Our story opens on a young, homeless woman Amber Murray, nursing baby Horace, under a tree in a city park in the winter. Desperately cold, but stoic, she shields her son from the rain.
Amber visits the offices of the Herald after learning that its trading column accommodates for 'temporary baby-trading', (whereby a mother advertises her infant to be temporarily cared-for by a wealthier family). Assured that this might provide her with some time to secure a job and home, Amber 'advertises' Horace in the buy and sell column. Charles and Agatha Makin, who make their living from professional child-minding, answer the advertisement and take Horace into their care.
In her search for work, Amber visits the Makin's regularly to pay the compulsory premium for the upkeep of her child. She is kept from seeing Horace, however, and is provided with excuses about his whereabouts on a regular basis.
Relief comes when Harriet Piper employs Amber, and their friendship begins to grow. Amber reveals to Harriet how she has been kept from seeing Horace. Angered, Harriet visits the Makins on Amber’s behalf, while Amber finds other mothers who have handed their babies over to them. Like Amber, these mothers have also been kept from seeing their babies but have been consistently paying the premium, regardless.
Harriet discovers that the Makins are moving away and together she and Amber rush to their house to demand Horace be returned, only to find the family have already gone. Without leaving an address.
Harriet takes Amber to The Markets where, in horror, she discovers all of Horace's precious clothes have been pawned to a merchant.
ACT 2
Months have passed when a drainer unearths 'little white bundles' in the yard of a Makin residence. To the shock of the city, the Makin family, including their daughter Clara, is arrested after thirteen infant bodies are found. Amber is forced to identify the body of her son, and resolves to fight the Makins in court with his memory as her strength and Harriet as her companion.
A media circus ensues. Amber is badgered mercilessly by the attorney for the defense - and the judgmental public - for abandoning a child born out of wedlock. Throughout the ordeal, Harriet stays by her side.
In court, Agatha and Charles claim innocence- insisting that the babies were taken by natural causes, claiming guilt only for illegal burial. Amber confesses to Harriet that Horace had, in fact, been ill when she gave him over to the family.
Finally, Clara takes the stand and exposes her parents as money-making murderers. Free of her secret, she is dragged from court, Agatha is imprisoned and Charles hanged. With the friendship of Harriet and the spirit of Horace within her, Amber leaves the city to restart her life.
No longer bound by desperation, Amber moves into her future in the light of a new day. Everything she loves has been set free. And so, too, has she.
[edit] The Authors
Peter Rutherford – Music
Peter has studied to become a classical singer and composer after completing an Honours degree in music at the University of NSW. Following immediately with trying out the acting profession by starting an education at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Deciding against the actor’s lifestyle, Peter soon realised his faculty and passion lay better in musical direction and arrangement.
Since then he has enjoyed working as a vocal coach for actors and a freelance arranger/composer, as well as performing on stage. He has made some TV appearances on Mornings with Kerri-Anne with professionals such as: Amanda Muggleton, Dennis Olsen, Michael Cormick and Lucy Durack.
Peter has musically directed many cabaret shows most recently doing national tours of Legends, Home Thoughts From Abroad, and Live and Legless with Enda Markey. With Luke Barron, he performed a successful season of their cabaret, Ten Things I Hate About Cabaret by James Millar, at Teatro Vivaldi’s in Canberra and the Statement Lounge in Sydney. He also featured in the finals of the 2001 Sydney Cabaret Convention.
His biggest triumph to date was writing the music, with book by James Millar, for the successful workshop of a new musical The Hatpin, at the end of 2005. This will hopefully be the first in a long line of works to follow.
Recently, he performed in the national tour of Opera Australia’s The Pirates of Penzance with Anthony Warlow and David Hobson. In 2005, he performed at the Lyric Theatre, Star City, for the Launch of Peter Cousens’ new Kookaburra National Theatre Company. Currently, he is the associate musical director for Really Useful Co. production of Cats, the Asia tour.
Peter works as a vocal coach to stimulate his deep love of education and has Taught workshops at various places including NIDA.
James Millar – Book & Lyrics
James Millar completed a degree in Writing at The University of Technology in Sydney, and in performance at WAAPA. Since graduating from WAAPA in 2003, his performance credits have included The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom directed by Neil Armfield for Company B Belvoir, Oklahoma for The Production Company, as well as Boyband, A Naughty Christmas, Nostradamus (in workshop) and Eureka, directed by Gale Edwards. In 2006 he was selected to perform in Cardiff for BBC Radio 2’s Voice of Musical Theatre. James’ work on television includes A Country Practice, Water Rats, Naked: Coral Island and Home And Away. In 2006 James won the Green Room Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Jud Fry in Oklahoma. He will next be seen in Stephen Sondheim’s Company, for Kookaburra, at the Theatre Royal. James has written extensively for cabaret/revues such as Moments of Breathtaking Stupidity, The Story Goes On, Poison Soprano, Ten Things I Hate About Cabaret, Impossible Blonde, and Amelia Cormack’s Love For Sale which enjoyed four return seasons.
