The Hanging of Jean Lee – Arts House

Overview

Arts House are about to round out a year of compelling theatre with a production of The Hanging of Jean Lee, an "underbelly song cycle" that traces the life (and death) of the last woman to be hanged in Australia.

The work premiered at the Sydney Opera House in 2006 to massive acclaim and was hailed as a uniquely Australian piece of music theatre. Lee's story plays out in the form of vivid projections combined with lurid, visceral text, written by Jordie Albiston and Abe Pogos. The score verges into gritty territory, straddling the border between jazz, pop and improvisation, with some of the Bad Seeds (Max Sharam and Hugo Race) adding their post-punk credentials to the mix. The performers are backed by a band of musos who've played with the likes of Gotye and Deborah Conway, as well as jazz maestro Lachlan Davidson.