Graphic by Jieyu Feng ’22
By JULIA BLOMBERG ’21
From March 5 to March 8, Rooke Theater was transformed into the scene of one of the most infamous murders in American history. “This explosive ride of a story is driven by propulsive rock music,” Michael Ofori, the director, wrote. Lizzie the Musical tells the story of the infamous Borden murders that took place in Massachusetts in 1892. The actors — Sophie Schweik ’23, Zara Malik ’21, Emma Chaffee ’22 and Kylie Levy ’21 — each produced phenomenal vocals. This production was especially fitting for Mount Holyoke College due to a central gay romance between two characters and the emphasis of abuse survivors’ voices, like Lizzie was.
The show follows Lizzie Borden (Sophie Schweik ’23), a young woman living in Massachusetts with her sister, father and mother-in-law. In this portrayal, Lizzie is a victim of abuse at the hands of her father. The show alternates between the blossoming romance with her neighbor and her increased panic about being stuck in a house with her father and step-mother. Eventually, she kills them with an ax while the housekeeper is running errands and her sister is out of town. The second half of the show follows the household dealing with the police investigation and eventually Lizzie’s trial, at which she was acquitted.
Mount Holyoke’s production was set up to make the audience feel as if they were attending a rock concert. The actors sang into prop microphones and the stage was engulfed by fog and colorful strobe lights. Throughout the duration of the show, the instrumentals were produced by a live band from behind a scrim that separated them from the rest of the stage. The band was backlit, which produced a haunting effect in which the audience could see silhouettes but not the band members themselves, which allowed the focus to stay on the actors.
Another fascinating aspect of the set were the two large screens hanging in front of the set. These screens served multiple purposes throughout the play. At several points, images of the actual Andrew Borden and Abby Borden, referred to by her step-daughters as Mrs. Borden, were projected onto the screens. This added a chilling reminder that the gory crime in this fictionalized retelling actually took place. The actors also addressed the projected images multiple times throughout the production. At one point, Lizzie’s sister, Emma (Zara Malik ’21), yells at the image of Mrs. Borden, “You are not my mother and you never will be!”
The first act of the play is drawn to an end by Lizzie’s brutal murder of her father and stepmother. The screens were also used to display this: Lizzie grabbed an axe from a microphone stand and disappeared behind the portraits of Mrs. Borden. Her silhouette was illuminated as she brutally swung the axe at the portrait and the image was shattered. The action was then repeated with her father, and the portraits rose. In their place, a bright red curtain came down, signifying the bloodshed.
There were four characters in this production, and all actors gave standout performances. The show’s musical score was incredibly demanding of both the actors and the band and required impressively difficult belting, harmonizing and blending abilities. All of the actors brought their own unique voices and acting talents to the production, and my jaw was on the floor more than once as some of the notes were hit.
Lizzie is a satisfying combination of eerie and entertaining. The show was captivating and full of emotion. Lizzie’s romance with her neighbor was an element of the story I had never heard before, and it gave the show some needed tender moments amongst the gore and angst. The set, band, special effects and lights created an amazing atmosphere and transported the audience to the tense Borden house, grabbing them and only letting go after Lizzie’s trial.
Murder doesn’t typically make for a fun time, but this production did.