On the night of 9 August 1954, glamour model Shirley Beiger pointed a gun at her bookie’s clerk boyfriend, Arthur Griffith, in front of Chequers, one of Sydney’s ritziest nightclubs. Arthur was there with another woman… he’d told Shirley he was at the dentist. In her trial for Arthur’s murder, Shirley claimed she did not hear the gun go off, “but knew something dreadful must have happened”.

Playwright Melanie Tait (The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race; The Queen’s Nanny, A Broadcast Coup, Sydney Festival 2022) and co-writer and director Sheridan Harbridge (44 Sex Acts in One Week, Sydney Festival 2022) take you back in time 70 years. Their brand-new immersive work not only uses the words from the trial itself but takes place in the very same courthouse – which is welcoming theatre audiences for the first time.

Think Chicago meets Witness for the Prosecution and immerse yourself in a wickedly funny, tantalising recreation of a media event that had Australia on tenterhooks. 

Head to Darlinghurst Courthouse early to indulge in a Model Murder inspired cocktail before transporting back to the 1950s. The bar will be open an hour prior to the show on the courthouse lawn, brought to you by Archie Rose Distilling Co. 

You can also view the exhibition Death at Darlinghurst, which documents the 73 men and 3 women who were hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol.

You will be required to go through security before entering the courthouse. We recommend arriving early to ensure a smooth entry and avoid the partial lockout. 

★★★★★ "Pure theatrical rambunctiousness which will tumble you into the night with sore hands and uplifted spirits."

– ArtsHub [for The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race]

★★★★ "tartly funny and inventive… written with skill and a winning wit."

– Limelight [for The Queen's Nanny]