Dressed for Court

Welcome to the 20s

English Theatre Utrecht’s upcoming production, Dressed for Court, is an original and daring play. It was written and directed by their resident artistic director, Alexandra Elroy. Dressed for Court is the first original play that English Theatre Utrecht has done. They are delighted to be back after a short hiatus, bringing an international cast of fifteen dedicated performers to the stage. In this production, English Theatre Utrecht will take you back to 1920’s Chicago-into the female prison, the flurry of the media storm, and the court of law. In the spirit of the jazz age, they encourage you to bring out your razzle dazzle and join the audience in your 1920’s outfits. 

History and inspiration

In Chicago in the 1920’s, the alcohol prohibition laws drove the good time guys and gals underground to the seedy jazz clubs, where the music was hot, and the forbidden liquor was flowing. In this context, crimes of passion were sometimes committed, but the public doubted whether a woman could really be capable of murder, especially if she was attractive, but what if she wasn’t?

Dressed for Court is inspired by the real events that also inspired the musical Chicago, but with a big difference in whom it focuses on. This is the story of a woman called Sabella, who was arrested in 1923 for the murder of her missing husband. She was an uneducated, unglamorous, poor Italian immigrant, who was inadequately represented during her trial.

Dressed for Court is Sabella’s story.

It lovingly takes the classic 1920’s tropes and inserts a sobering dose of critical realism, exposing the era’s shortcomings. It also interrogates strong themes such as restrictive gender roles, prejudiced views towards immigrants, power and corruption, the sensationalism of the media, and the fragility of justice; issues which we still grapple with in our modern society. Research for the text includes the book Ugly Prey, written by Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi.

What can the audience expect from Dressed for Court? Here are some impressions from the cast about what to expect.

Helen: “It is a poignant and entertaining production, which exposes the stark inequalities of the time and reminds us that in some contexts, these inequalities still exist today.”

Lotte: “It is catchy and quick, and a lot of things are happening. Underneath is an undercurrent of a less glamorous story”.

Kristina: “It is set in a time which seems naughty and has a romantic mystique for us, but on a deeper level, we see the stories of people who might be repressed by ‘the system’. It’s also about learning to play the system to your advantage, harnessing the power of the media to reframe a story, and how this can define reality, which is something we also see in the use of social media platforms today.”