The Hatpin

*The Hatpin*
The Hatpin
	Original cast recording cover
Music	Peter Rutherford
Lyrics	James Millar
Book	James Millar
Productions	2008 Sydney ; 2008 NYMF ; 2011 Melbourne; 2012 London

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, Australia. Written and developed in 2006–2007, The Hatpin opened at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre in Sydney on 27 February 2008.^[1] 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 farmers 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.^[2]

Productions

The original Australian production of The Hatpin opened at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre in Sydney on 27 February 2008, produced by Neil Gooding Productions and White Box Theatre. It starred Melle Stewart, Peter Cousens, Michelle Doake, Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, Caroline O'Connor and Barry Crocker.^[1]

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. 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.^[3]

In 2011 The Hatpin made its Melbourne premiere with Magnormos at Theatre Works, St. Kilda, with a season from 16 to 28 May. It was directed by Shaun Kingma with musical direction by Sophie Thomas.^[4]

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.^[5]^[6]^[7] 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.^[8]

The West Australian premiere of The Hatpin took place at South Perth's Old Mill Theatre from 11 July to 20 July 2014.^[9] Tim Prosser, Nicholas Cruse, Mitchell Crouch, David Cosgrove, and Luke Heath all appeared in minor roles.^[10]

Roles and principal casts

Character	Sydney (2008)	USA (2008)	Melbourne (2011)^[4]	London (2012)	South Perth (2014)
Amber Murray	Melle Stewart	Alexis Fishman	Gemma-Ashley Kaplan	Gemma Beaton	Sarah Cosstick
Harriet Piper	Caroline O'Connor		Samantha Morley	Eleanor Sandars	Judi Johnson
Agatha Makin	Michelle Deake	Cyrilla Baer Pond	Sophie Collins	Kate Playdon	Andrea von Bertouch
Clara Makin	Gemma-Ashley Kaplan		Emma Jones	Emma White	Madeleine Shaw
Charles Makin	Peter Cousens	Paul Kandel	Philip Gould	Robin Holden	Angelino Schintu
Edward Cleary	Tyran Parke	Matt Leisy	Jacob Cook	Mark Byles	Unknown
James Hanoney / Justice Stephen	Barry Crocker	Michael A. Pizzi	Martin Lane	Hayward Morse	Adam Salathiel
Minnie Davis	Jennifer Peers	Mary Catherine McDonald	Megan Hoult	Michaela Cartmell	Unknown
Marianne Leonard	Octavia Barron-Martin	Casey Erin Clark	Montana Perrin	Katie Allison
Rebecca Rigby	Jodie Harris	Sharone Halevy	Kimberley Colman	Elise Fabris
Thomas Williamson / James Joyce	Nick Christo	Billy Clark Taylor	Adam Rafferty	Tom Bristow

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.^[11]^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Peter Rutherford

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Overture"	The Hatpin Orchestra	3:41
2.	"Hymn"	The Hatpin Cast	1:01
3.	"Twisted Little Town"	The Hatpin Cast	3:44
4.	"Puddles"	Melle Stewart (as Amber Murray)	3:50
5.	"Work"	The Hatpin Cast & Caroline O'Connor (as Harriet Piper)	5:57
6.	"Bad Fruit"	Caroline O'Connor & Melle Stewart	3:06
7.	"Knock Knock Knock"	The Hatpin Cast	2:52
8.	"Enough"	Melle Stewart	2:12
9.	"Gathering Sirens"	The Hatpin Cast & Melle Stewart	4:39
10.	"Steal Away"	Peter Cousens (as Charlie Makin)	3:23
11.	"The Hand of Courage"	Caroline O'Connor & Melle Stewart	3:55
12.	"These Things"	The Hatpin Cast	2:05
13.	"Digging Up"	The Hatpin Cast & Barry Crocker (as James Hanoney)	2:39
14.	"So Much More Than Me"	Melle Stewart	4:13
15.	"Why Did I Give Him Away?"	The Hatpin Cast & Melle Stewart	2:39
16.	"Sail"	Caroline O'Connor & Gemma-Ashley Kaplan (as Clara Makin)	1:58
17.	"Something Like Being a Mother"	Caroline O'Connor	2:52
18.	"Natural Causes"	The Hatpin Cast	3:00
19.	"The Hatpin"	Gemma-Ashley Kaplan	5:45
20.	"The Verdict"	The Hatpin Cast & Barry Crocker (as Justice Stephen)	2:16
21.	"Holding You"	Caroline O'Connor & Melle Stewart	4:57
22.	"A Tiny Glow / Sail (Reprise)"	The Hatpin Cast	3:19

Awards and nominations

2008 Sydney Theatre Awards^[13]
- 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
- Best Female Artist in a Featured Role (Music Theatre) – Emma Jones (winner)

References

^ ^a ^b Casben, Brett (1 March 2008). "The Hatpin". Australian Stage. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^ "The Hatpin – Aussie Musical for Melbourne". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
^ Kaplan, Russell M. (17 September 2008). "The Hatpin". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^ ^a ^b Herbert, Kate (20 May 2011). "Review: The Hatpin, Magnormos". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^ "The Hatpin". Blue Elephant Theatre. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
^ Giorgetti, Sandra (30 October 2012). "Theatre review: The Hatpin at The Blue Elephant". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
^ "the hatpin". views from the gods. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^ "Pre 2016". Lazarus Theatre. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^ "Hope, courage and mother's love in WA premiere of murderous musical". Old Mill Theatre. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
^ Shaw, Kimberley. "The Hatpin". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
^ "The Hatpin / music [by] Peter Rutherford; book & lyrics [by] James Millar". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
^ "The Hatpin (Original Cast Recording)". iTunes. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
^ "2008 Sydney Theatre Awards". The Sydney Theatre Awards. Retrieved 26 June 2018.

External links

[Casben-1] Casben, Brett (1 March 2008). "The Hatpin". Australian Stage. Retrieved 29 June 2013.

[2] "The Hatpin – Aussie Musical for Melbourne". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 18 January 2018.

[3] Kaplan, Russell M. (17 September 2008). "The Hatpin". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2013.

[:0-4] Herbert, Kate (20 May 2011). "Review: The Hatpin, Magnormos". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.

[5] "The Hatpin". Blue Elephant Theatre. Retrieved 31 January 2016.

[6] Giorgetti, Sandra (30 October 2012). "Theatre review: The Hatpin at The Blue Elephant". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 31 January 2016.

[7] "the hatpin". views from the gods. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2021.

[8] "Pre 2016". Lazarus Theatre. Retrieved 8 September 2021.

[9] "Hope, courage and mother's love in WA premiere of murderous musical". Old Mill Theatre. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2014.

[10] Shaw, Kimberley. "The Hatpin". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 8 September 2021.

[11] "The Hatpin / music [by] Peter Rutherford; book & lyrics [by] James Millar". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 September 2013.

[12] "The Hatpin (Original Cast Recording)". iTunes. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2018.

[13] "2008 Sydney Theatre Awards". The Sydney Theatre Awards. Retrieved 26 June 2018.

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