Dark Side of St. Peters

Following sold out seasons walking the streets of Kensington, Bowden, and Parkside, this year’s street theatre from Oily Rag Theatre is in the lush suburb of St. Peters. Its wide streets and big houses give some clue to their age from the early developments of the Adelaide eastern suburbs, but it is through the stories from Milly and Tilly that we get a richer knowledge of the history of the area’s buildings and their inhabitants.

Shannon Norfolk’s research and writing is impeccable, as are the gold-and-white full-length dresses of our spirit guides, Matilda/Tilly (Heather Crawford) and Mildred/Milly (Shannon Gray), who walk the group around the streets at sunset.

Tilly’s focus is on the good folk of St. Peters, particularly the women who established schools and taught us so much about the different cultures that nineteenth century Australia was struggling with (and still does today). Milly prefers the darker stories, the gossip of houses of ill-repute and the Adelaide establishment who frequented them, but particularly the horrible abuse of power from the then City Coroner and Chairman of the Board of Health.

The balance of good and evil story keeps the walking group entertained, horrified – and educated, for this is an opportunity to go beyond the beautiful facades of brick and stone to understand how a city became what it is today.

Crawford and Gray maintain character throughout, chatting with each other and the group as they walk between stops – which are carefully curated to minimise disruption to residents and traffic.

This is another fabulous evening exploring a new part of the city, and the group is overflowing with new facts by the time it comes to say goodbye – the only question remaining is ‘where will you be next year…?’

Review by Mark Wickett

To check out our round-up of Adelaide Fringe reviews, click here.