Reviewed by Petra Schulenburg, Sunday 17th June 2018.
Was
Kate Leigh the Worst Woman in Sydney? Adelaide's own Libby O'Donovan premieres her vastly entertaining and informative take on one of the most notorious women in Australian history, as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Certainly, Kate Leigh was a criminal and gang leader, an organised crime entrepreneur of her time, who went on to become one of Australia's wealthiest women. From 1919 to 1955, Kate Leigh made her fortune running sly grog (selling alcohol after the 6 o'clock pub closing), cocaine, and prostitutes. She was also a key player in the notorious Razor Gang Wars of the 1920s and 30s, powered by her ongoing feud with Sydney madam and rival, Tilly Devine.
But she was also a woman who overcame her childhood of grinding poverty, wrongful imprisonment as a teenager, and the prejudices of Victorian and early Australian society, to ultimately become one of Australia's most powerful women, in an era when most women were subject to the rule and influence of men.
O'Donovan takes on the dual roles of narrator and Kate Leigh herself in a production full of original songs which illustrate the storyline with just the right amounts of pathos, rage, and humour. There are fabulous songs, such
6 O'Clock,
It's Snowing in Sydney, and
Not Waltzing with Matilda, about Leigh's rivalry and feud with Tilly Devine, in which O'Donovan is joined on stage by the wonderful Beccy Cole.
O'Donovan is also supported by a fabulous three-piece band (trumpet, piano, and double bass) who were already creating just the right ambience in the room before the show even started. Projections of archival photos of key players and notorious underworld crime figures of the times back up the narrative and put very real faces to a rogues' gallery of larger than life characters.
O'Donovan has created a truly satisfying piece of cabaret, rich in imagery and evocative music, which deserves to be seen far and wide. Alternately moving or raging, sultry or sassy, her voice and delivery are perfect. With a wink and a nod, O'Donovan invites the audience to join her. "Mum" is the code word, just knock and enter a world away from the drudgery of your everyday existence. Was Kate Leigh the Worst Woman in Sydney? You decide.
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