It’s time to go underground in more ways than one with this journey into the underbelly of early Sydneytown. Two plays about true crimes from the city’s all-too-recent past are playing in the 200-year-old crypt beneath the St James’ Church near Hyde Park – Razor Gang Wars and Juanita Nielsen: The Final Days. At each of these one-hour shows, a guide escorts you through eerie rooms and passages to witness the events of some of Sydney’s most interesting crimes.
Set on the mean streets of ‘Razorhurst’, Razor Gang Wars follows the criminal war that erupted in the Harbour City’s underground in the 1920s as rival crime queens Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh battled for supremacy. Amid the chaos stands Lillian Armfield, Australia’s first policewoman.
Juanita Nielsen: The Final Days delves into the unsolved mystery that has captivated the nation for decades. On July 4, 1975, Sydney heiress, journalist and activist Juanita Nielsen disappeared after visiting the Carousel Club in Kings Cross. Step back in time with this captivating story of corruption and violence, as you’re invited to question who killed Juanita and why.
These two productions are the fourth instalment in the Deadhouse immersive theatre series, presenting classic Australian tales of true crimes. Each show runs for an hour and the audience is strictly capped at 30 people.
We headed into the crypt for Razor Gang Wars to see what’s in store. What we discovered was one of the most unusual and exciting locations for a live show in this city, with an impressively large cast emerging from all sides to tell a tale laden with violence and fake blood. If you’re fussy with your theatre, you may be a bit put off by the way that dramatic and character development can get stilted by the fixation on recounting every detail reported in the newspapers. We also would have liked to see a bit more of Tilly and Kate, as a lot of the action is taken up by men shouting.
If you’re a history buff or a visitor to Sydney who’d like to learn more about the city’s dark past, this is a unique and educational experience that makes an interesting addition to a night out in the city.
Razor Gang Wars plays from Aug 31-Sep 16, and Juanita Nielsen: The Final Days plays from Sep 28-Oct 14. You can choose between a 6pm and 8pm showing on show days. Tickets are $96.61 ($80 for concessions) and you can snap them up over here.
