Review: Lizzie

Review: Lizzie

Hope Mill Theatre 20-10-24 by Tiffany Chevis

It’s August in 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts, and the Borden household is shaken to its core by the brutal murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, the domineering father and stepmother of Emma and Lizzie. The prime suspect is the youngest sister, accused of killing the pair with a hatchet. But Lizzie has a band of women around her, and a determination wrought from trauma – her secret may be safe, but her story will be told forever.
Steven Cheslik-Demeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt’s grizzly tale of Lizzie Borden is haunting audiences once again at the Hope Mill Theatre with a brand new cast. Murder mystery meets punk rock, it’s a performance you’ll never forget – under William Whelton’s direction and the claustrophobic set by Andrew Exeter, we are both flies on the wall and accomplices to the incredible tale of strength, fear, and redemption.
All four women must be applauded for their incredible vocals – there’s nowhere to hide in this belting score, and in such an intimate venue as the Hope Mill the audience can hear every breath. Alongside frenetic choreography complete with head banging and high kicks, it’s as exhausting to watch as it must be to perform.

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Taking the lead, Kayleigh McKnight brings great depth to the character. What could become a caricature of madness, is instead handled with vulnerability, suggesting a calculation to Lizzie’s actions grown out of a bed of abuse. Her performance of This Is Not Love has a heartbreaking stillness, anchoring sympathy from the start. Those moments of madness inevitably break through, and Thirteen Days in Taunton is a brilliant display of this through a veil of confidence and freedom. Flitting between a lost and desperate young woman, to a shrewd conspirator, there is a taut energy that McKnight masterfully unleashes in just the right bursts.
Katie Tonkinson as Lizzie’s friend and confidant Alice provides a sense of calm throughout the chaos, as she is torn by her loyalty to Lizzie and her sense of justice. If You Knew is tender and embracing, but Tonkinson does well to show Alice’s conflicting emotions as the tale winds on.

The iconic character of Bridget, the Borden’s maid, is the production’s often light relief. Jennifer Caldwell is bolshy and wry, with raised eyebrow and knowing shrugs as she manoeuvres – or manipulates? – the young Borden sister towards her fate. In Shattercane and Velvet Grass in particular, Caldwell appears as witch and puppet master, and yet we also get a subtle sense that Bridget’s actions may come from compassion for the young mistress. Whatever her motivation, the Irish maid will always be a firm audience favourite.

The eldest sister Emma is performed by Emilie Louise Israel, and demonstrates the classic mix of affection and exasperation as she tries to unpick her sibling’s mess – most directly in the hilarious and yet resigned What the F*** Now, Lizzie?! Whilst everyone loses their heads and hearts around her, Israel strives to bring some order and find a way forward.

A particularly beautiful moment is Watchmen Wait for Morning, the delicate hymn sung by the sisters. The purity of their voices echoes the thread of their bond, and evokes an innocence that ultimately saves Lizzie.
For fans of Six, the aesthetic will feel a little familiar – combining American Victoriana with a punk-rock twist of rhinestones and combat boots, Rachel Ransey’s costumes cleverly release the women from their high-necked confines as the story unravels.

Lizzie is a rowdy – and somewhat unhinged – musical of female solidarity in the face of adversity; a showcase for powerful voices, and a sucker-punch to the viewers’ senses. Brutal and brave, it’s a story that will continue to tantalise and ask the question – what really happened in the House of Borden?

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