When you see That Bloody Woman (because you should see That Bloody Woman) prepare to have all pre-conceptions of what you think a musical is, thrown out the window.

The story of Kate Sheppard, the woman on New Zealand’s $10 note, is Musical Theatre Ōamaru's (MTO) second major production for the year, and is told through rap, rock, R&B, gospel - and even a touch of disco.

“It is one of those shows that's . . . not over-preachy feminist, and there's that element of, sort of, a Kiwi way of making fun of the situation, but in a serious manner," director Andrew Potvin said.

The show opens with a jolt, some laughs, a few choice words (it's for ages 15+), and from then on seldom loses its lively pace, thanks to a high-energy ensemble who are obviously having a very good time.

The cast of 27 is joined on-stage by a five-piece band and rehearsals have been running since August.

MTO president Melissa Yockney said it's a story New Zealanders should be "incredibly proud of".

“Kate Sheppard led New Zealand women to be the first in the world to get the opportunity to vote, so that in itself is an incredible story . . . and the telling of it is fun, it's exciting, it's entirely different.

“It makes history fun. It's going to be unlike anything people have probably seen or experienced at the Opera House before.”

Andrew has been commuting from Auckland for directing duties, and is joined by Ōamaru’s own Alan Rakiraki as musical director.

Kiwibank manager and regular MTO superstar Krissy McGeown rises to the huge demands of the lead role, and makes a formidable, but likeable Kate Sheppard, while Waimate veterinarian Ryan Luckman is a perfect fit as her nemesis Richard “King Dick” Seddon, New Zealand Prime Minister of the time, who lends himself nicely to a lot of “King Dick” jokes.

Other cast members include Susanna Elliffe as Jennie Lovell-Smith, Alice Gibson as Ada Wells, Alice Hore as Mary Leavitt, Richard McLeod as William Lovell-Smith, Josh Tait as Walter Sheppard, and Jenna Madden, who is understudy for both Kate and Jennie, and plays Kate in the Saturday matinee.

Andrew is heavily involved in the New Zealand musical theatre community, and has worked all over the country. He said being part of an Ōamaru production has been on his radar for a while. 

“It’s such a beautiful town and venue, so some of the best ways to really experience a town and its community is to get involved with it . . . So there has always been that sort of element of interest, and then Liss mentioned that they were going to be doing That Bloody Woman.”

Andrew has already been involved in the national professional tour of the show, written in 2015 by Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper, with the Creative New Zealand-backed Tour-Makers. He was also part of the production team for an Auckland rendition.

“I personally hadn't directed this show before, but have directed others, and it was just an opportunity. I said, ‘well, you know, if it can work, I would love to be part of it’.”

He said the show is “an accessible opportunity” for people to hear the story of Kate Sheppard.

“I think there's a beauty in these types of stories, where you're able to take an element of history and an element of the liberties that come with doing a theatre show, to create a theatrical experience that, you know, educates us.

“It's our story, but a lot of people don't actually know what Kate Sheppard did - why she's on the $10 bill.”

That Bloody Woman Director Andrew Potvin. PHOTO: Supplied/Alice Hore

The Ōamaru cast has supporting leads who had never had a role “of scale” before, he said.

“So I was also really interested in sort of finding those people that wanted to be involved, but maybe didn't necessarily know what they were capable of achieving. And a vast majority of our cast are internally quite shy, but they're actually really strong feminists and really getting in behind the storyline and what it means, and they're shining, which is great.”

While the f-word (feminism) combined with the m-word (musical) might deter your average Kiwi bloke from coming to see the show, Andrew offers reassurance it’s not your typical “tap-dancing and jazz hands” musical, and has something for the men as well as women.

“It's a modern musical that will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you be proud to be a New Zealander . . . or, if you're not a New Zealander, proud of what New Zealand's role has been in the history of the modern era.”

That Bloody Woman is running at the Ōamaru Opera House from November 15-18.