Review of Lizzie at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.
Lizzie Borden’s home is no ordinary place. There is no fairy twirling inside the music box that can be glimpsed in the show’s opening moments – just an axe slowly revolving.
Tensions abound, with family members living in separate parts of the home, a lock on every door and as their maid Bridget exclaims, “there’s some crazy shite” going on.
Just the sort of place, where anything might happen – and back in 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, it did. Following the discovery of the axe-whacked dead bodies of Lizzie’s father and stepmother, she went on to stand trial for their murders.
Fascination with the case continues to this day – and rock musical ‘Lizzie’ (which originally premiered off Broadway in 2009) stirs up a swirl of speculation about Lizzie’s state of mind, and what might have compelled her to carry out such an act. Was it a lost inheritance, sexual abuse, oppression, or madness? All we know for certain is that Lizzie was controversially found ‘not guilty’ at the time.
Hope Mill Theatre’s new production very quickly sets up a sense of dark unease – introducing a close-knit group of young women in a tightly wound household. There’s nowhere to hide in Andrew Exeter’s barn-based set, its irregular slats of wood allow others to peer in or be spied slipping past outside. Two large sliding doors that glide open so seamlessly to enable scene changes, will violently slam shut at times of tension.
With minimal dialogue, it’s mainly left to the song lyrics to drive things forward as the show’s four female characters become entangled in the story and each other. Lizzie and her older sister Emma rage about their stepmother, and a changed will. Next door neighbour Alice craves a romantic relationship with Lizzie. While Bridget the maid sees more than she lets on and finds strange pleasure in being embroiled in the household’s increasingly feverish goings-on.
Director William Whelton’s production confidently juggles timeframes and genres. Although the cast start out in period costumes, the fiercely delivered contemporary music makes no nod to the past – and the contrast serves to highlight the stifling conditions at the time for women. Lauren Drew’s Lizzie claws at the high-buttoned neck of her blouse as if struggling to breathe within its confines.
Each female performer carries a hand mic, in a leather holster around their waist. During the first half they’re regularly unleashed, and pointedly used – these women’s true weapon of choice is their voice.
Although neatly alluding to the cast’s collective firepower, those handheld mics also help navigate the show’s stylised approach – with its elements of both musical theatre and concert performance. Are we watching a traditional stage show or a girl group’s concept album live? That ongoing ambiguity ensures that when the cast and live band rock out gig-style at the end, it feels like a seamless conclusion.
‘A True Crime Rock Musical’ proclaims the show’s publicity, and at times it is certainly rocky – with the cast flicking their ‘devil horn’ hands and getting down to some serious head banging. The four strong all-female band, create a formidable wall of sound – which at times can get (rather aptly) head-splittingly loud. Fortunately, that full-on volume never outstays its welcome, and there’s a more varied mix of musical styles than you’d expect.
Imaginative choreography (care of Whelton and associate choreographer Yandass Ndlovu) gives the production a richer texture – and enlivens a musical that, in other hands, might be prone to becoming a touch static. There is a hellish hoedown at one point, and the jittering rhythms of ‘Questions, Questions’ are gifted a full pop video-style treatment – with chairs, fans and some welcome R & B-esque swagger.
Devotees of schlocky horror will enjoy the odd creepy touch (someone waving around a sack of beheaded pigeons, and blood running down the walls) but there’s also space for flashes of humour – mainly through Bridget’s crowd-pleasing comic asides, but also in some of the lyrics (“What the fuck, now, Lizzie?”, sings her sister Emma, on hearing news of the murders).
Now, before anyone gets too carried away by the musical’s strong female empowerment vibes, it is worth remembering that ‘Lizzie’ is the creation of three men. Step forward, Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner.
There is no denying, however, that the cast of four women bring a force of their own to the songs – elevating the original material. One of the production’s major strengths is that the cast are uniformly strong, and each actor finds an opportunity to grab the spotlight.
As Emma, Shekinah McFarlane’s warm tones are a fiery and fearless match for the show’s heavy rock sound (especially on Sweet Little Sister), while Maiya Quansah-Breed (Alice) brings a beautiful, honeyed quality to the show’s more reflective moments.
Bridget is perhaps the show’s most subversive character. As the working-class maid in a ‘high society’ household, Mairi Barclay’s Bridget plays the fool, but has an unsettling ability to predict what will happen next – and ultimately turns the whole messy situation to her advantage when the opportunity arises. Barclay also manages to deliver powerful vocals, while adopting an accent that I can only describe as Oirish.
Lauren Drew excels as Lizzie. Able to bring ‘butter-wouldn’t-melt’ sweetness to some of the show’s quieter piano-driven songs, while also capable of soaring high on a riff-propelled rock number – her vocal prowess is matched by an ability to convey a real sense of a woman on the edge, simmering with confused emotions.
If you were to examine the show too deeply, you’d perhaps notice how episodic the narrative is, how disjointed it occasionally is, and how thinly some of the characters are drawn. You might even be tempted to view some of it as sensationalist tosh! However, Whelton’s slick production cleverly doesn’t give you time to draw breath, never mind reflect on any potential flaws in the storytelling. Rarely flagging, the production has incredible drive, and manages to locate and deliver one musical highpoint after another.
And it is not just the giddying pace, it all screams quality. Dan Light’s flowing video projections, the inventive set, that immaculate sound mix, the live music, the choreography, and the vocals – it’s a total sugar rush of a show.
All these years later, the debate rages on – was Borden guilty or not? However, you don’t need a jury to tell you that Hope Mill’s effervescent production of ‘Lizzie’ undoubtedly has the AXE factor.
Performance seen on 3rd September 2023.
Lizzie runs at Hope Mill Theatre from 1st September to 30th September 2023. Then on tour.
Images by Pamela Raith
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