Southwark Playhouse – until 2 December 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Hope Mill Theatre’s production of Lizzie arrives in London with a bang – or should that be a whack?
The case of Lizzie Borden – tried and acquitted of the axe murders of her father and stepmother – is immortalised in rhyme in American culture and sung by children. I remember singing along and swinging imaginary axes in the playground in the heady days of pre-National Curriculum education when teachers were free to fill their blood-thirsty little students’ brains with gory stories. So, I jumped at the chance of seeing the Danish version of Lizzie back in 2017 and fell in love with the high-octane score and bonkers performances. Hope Mill’s production is slicker and although still brilliantly anarchic, is a much more polished and coherent show. And no watermelons were harmed in this production – IYKYK!
Lizzie (Lauren Drew) and Emma Borden (Shekinah MacFarlane) live unhappy lives with their father and stepmother in their family home in Fall River Massachusetts. The story is told through the eyes of Lizzie, Emma, Bridget, the Borden’s maid (Mairi Barclay) and neighbour Alice (Maiya Quansah-Breed). Mr and Mrs Borden never appear, and the women’s versions of their behaviour is the only side we see, building a claustrophobic atmosphere of control and abuse that finally tips Lizzie over the edge when she finds out that her father has changed his will in favour of Mrs Borden.
Tim Maner’s book is brisk and efficient, with short scenes linking the killer musical numbers. Most of the exposition comes from Bridget, a gleeful and omnipresent catalyst for mischief resembling Mrs Doyle on speed in Mairi Barclay’s brilliantly cartoonish performance. Steven Cheslik-Demeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner’s music is thumping and frenetic, building throughout the first act into near hysteria when Lizzie finally flips – in Why Are All These Heads Off? – Lizzie’s reaction to her father chopping off her beloved pigeons’ heads as a punishment for her liaisons with Alice is a frankly insane piece of music which ramps up the tension before the final bloody number of act 1.
This sees Lizzie take control, her new-found freedom from her father overriding any fear of incarceration. The machinations of the women backing Lizzie’s varying alibi, and covering up of evidence makes for some intense and vitriolic numbers, the standout being Shekinah McFarlane’s What The Fuck, Now, Lizzie? The sisters’ gorgeous duet Watchmen For The Morning is a stunning showcase for Drew and McFarlane. Lauren Drew is a revelation as she sings This Is Not Love while acting out the abuse she suffers at the hands of her father and portrays Lizzie’s emotional journey with haunting physicality. Shekinah McFarlane is a powerhouse as Emma, and Maiya Quansah-Breed is stunning as the lovelorn Alice.
Director and choreographer William Whelton nails the Steampunk gig-musical atmosphere while also allowing tender emotional moments to shine through. Andrew Exeter’s barn door set is a dream, providing the perfect backdrop for Dan Light’s evocative video design – the blood! The four-piece band led by Honor Halford-MacLeod are on fire, and the cast completely understand the assignment – belting the numbers like true rock goddesses with killer vocals and performances in this barnstorming, bold and bloody show.
The production tour continues at New Theatre Peterborough 6 – 16 December