Crime queens Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh, who were bitter rivals during the 1920s when their gangs fought it out on the streets of East Sydney in the “razor gang wars”, are a fascinating pair of protagonists for a musical, particularly in the #MeToo era. But Razorhurst, which tells their combined stories, still has a way to go if it is to do more than simply tell us what happened to them.

Amelia Cormack and Debora Krizak, with Lucy Bermingham on piano in Hayes Theatre Co’s Razorhurst. Photograph © John McRae

The show, with book and lyrics by Kate Mulley and music by Andy Peterson, was inspired by director Benita De Wit, who came across a cartoon of Kate Leigh and sent it to Peterson and Mulley with the comment that it could become the basis for something.

They pitched the idea of a two-hander musical to Cheryl Katz, Artistic Director at Luna Stage in New Jersey, and the show had its premiere in the US in February 2018. It was subsequently rewritten for Australian audiences and now has its Australian premiere at the Hayes Theatre.

Leigh and Devine were certainly tough,...