If Alexander Hamilton and America's Founding Fathers can conquer Broadway as gangsta rappers, there is no reason why Kate Sheppard shouldn't kick out the jams in a homegrown punk rock extravaganza.
ATC's reboot of a show that premiered at last year's Christchurch Arts Festival brings a blast of anarchic energy to the remarkable story of how New Zealand beat the world in granting women the right to vote.
There is some historical dissonance as Sheppard's roots in the Christian Temperance Movement runs up against punk's nihilistic enthusiasm for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, but such jarring contradictions are easily digested by contemporary audiences.
Co-writers Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper connect the historical story of New Zealand's suffrage movement with the more radical style of modern-day feminism as male supporters of the struggle are ridiculed and opponents dispatched with crass derision.
The contemporary vibe struck a chord with the audience but the show's most compelling moment came with Phoebe Hurst's moving lament for the victims of domestic violence focusing on the 19th century idea that prohibition of alcohol was the best way to prevent the abuse of women.
