koda

At the outset of the Second World War, Doris van der Stratten, an Australian housewife, survived a massacre, endured a five-month trek through the jungles of Malaya, incarceration with POWs to then become the mistress of the Japanese Commander of Kuala Lumpur, before finally and fatally encountering the Japanese military police – the dreaded Kempetei.  After the war, and seeking justice and revenge for war time atrocities, the British and Australian authorities instituted a series of war crime trials.  One of the earliest to appear before the courts was Lt Shuzi Murakami, a Kempetei officer charged with the brutal murder of Doris while under interrogation at the Kempetei headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.  This play tracks the trial, and uses much contemporary material, as it explores its explosive outcome and the underlying issues of betrayal and treachery – but also bravery and tenacity against the odds.

At the outset of the Second World War, Doris van der Stratten, an Australian housewife, survived a massacre, endured a five-month trek through the jungles of Malaya, incarceration with POWs to then become the mistress of the Japanese Commander of Kuala Lumpur, before finally and fatally encountering the Japanese military police – the dreaded Kempetei.  After the war, and seeking justice and revenge for war time atrocities, the British and Australian authorities instituted a series of war crime trials.  One of the earliest to appear before the courts was Lt Shuzi Murakami, a Kempetei officer charged with the brutal murder of Doris while under interrogation at the Kempetei headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.  This play tracks the trial, and uses much contemporary material, as it explores its explosive outcome and the underlying issues of betrayal and treachery – but also bravery and tenacity against the odds.

At the outset of the Second World War, Doris van der Stratten, an Australian housewife, survived a massacre, endured a five-month trek through the jungles of Malaya, incarceration with POWs to then become the mistress of the Japanese Commander of Kuala Lumpur, before finally and fatally encountering the Japanese military police – the dreaded Kempetei.  After the war, and seeking justice and revenge for war time atrocities, the British and Australian authorities instituted a series of war crime trials.  One of the earliest to appear before the courts was Lt Shuzi Murakami, a Kempetei officer charged with the brutal murder of Doris while under interrogation at the Kempetei headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.  This play tracks the trial, and uses much contemporary material, as it explores its explosive outcome and the underlying issues of betrayal and treachery – but also bravery and tenacity against the odds.