Overall they estimate they wrote 60 songs for the production, consulting Hansard so they could use words and phrases from the original suffrage debates.
[1] Audience testing in May 2013 showed Court Theatre artistic director Ross Gumbley that the piece had potential even though overall it did not work, and Kate was too unlikeable.
The restrictions this placed on set design and approach forced the writers to consider the piece as more of a cabaret, with Kate "coming back in time to tell us what went wrong because her legacy got f*****.
"[1] Using a 1977 Bette Midler concert in Cleveland as inspiration for Kate's character, Cooper rewrote the first half of the musical in a week.
It was directed by Kip Chapman, with Esther Stephens as Kate Sheppard and Geoff Dolan as Richard "King Dick" Seddon.
In contrast, Richard “King Dick" Seddon was "patronising, fur-bedecked, ponytail-pulling and a thoroughly nasty misogynist" which Geoffrey Dolan played with "serious loathsomeness".
[7] The show opens in 1868 with Kate Sheppard travelling from England to New Zealand and settling in Christchurch, where she meets and marries accountant Walter, and has a son, Douglas.
Kate realises that social and economic inequities were just as bad in New Zealand as in England, and the women had little power to effect change.
The turning point for Kate is attending an event in 1885 where she hears the Women's Christian Temperance Union's Mary Leavett speak.
[8][10] Musical Director: Luke Di Somma Associate Musical Director: Andy Manning Set Designer: Rachael Walker Costume Designer: Lisa Holmes AV Designer: Brendan Albrey Choreography: Jillian Gambino Geoffrey Dolan as Dick Seddon Phoebe Hurst, Amy Straker, Kyle Chuen and Cameron Douglas as The Gang[2][6] Director: Lyndee-Jane Rutherford Musical director: Kane Parsons Choreographer: Leigh Evans Jeff Kingsford-Brown as Dick Seddon Supporting cast: Janine Bonny, Gary Clark, Kirsten Clark, Frankie Curd, Indiya Henman, Ellen Hodder, Steve Jenkins, Katte Johnston, Rebekah Matsas, Helena Pawson, Trudy Pearson, Leona Revell, Laura Signal and Michelle Thompson[11] Musical Director: Katie Morton Orchestrations by Luke Di Somma, Andy Manning, Cameron Burnett, Tim Heeringa & Hannah Elise Megan Neill as Kate Sheppard understudy and ensemble Kate Boyle as Jennie Lovell-Smith and ensemble Emma Katene as Ada Wells and ensemble Allison Phillips as Mary Leavitt and ensemble Jayne Grace as the Vicar and ensemble Chris Green as Richard "King Dick" Seddon Chris Gordon as Walter Sheppard and ensemble Angus Dunn as William Lovell-Smith and ensemble And as Hallelujah Bonnets: Katie Morton on Keys, Maddy Walker on Guitar, Jevon Wright on Bass, and Kim Andrews on Drums[12] Director: Kim Morgan Musical director: Bridget Telfer-Milne Max Beal as Richard "King Dick" Seddon Kelly Hocking, Jess Clarke, Janine Weatherly, Peter Hocking, Darrel Read, Kieran Kelly, Kane Welsh, Jane Craigie-Read, Bethany Cook and Chelsea McRae as The Gang.
[15] The youth production will be directed by Emma Bishop, with Andy Manning, the Associate Musical Director for the New Zealand premiere of the show in 2015, and choreographer Hillary Moulder.