You don’t have to know much about Lizzie Borden to love Music Theater of Madison’s current production of Lizzie, You do, however, have to be ready to rock.
The punk-rock spectacular by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner — presented in the Wisconsin Union’s Fredric March Play Circle through Aug. 26 — is a high-volume, high-intensity tribute to girl power, filtered through the infamous story of a Massachusetts woman named Lizzie Borden, accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892.
After a sensational trial, Borden was acquitted, but speculation swirled around her for the rest of her life, and many theories have been put forward to explain what actually happened on that fateful day.
In this in-your-face, heightened musical version of the story, there are only four characters: Lizzie (Meghan Randolph), her sister Emma (Liz Griffith), the family’s maid Bridget Sullivan (Erin McConnell), and a neighbor Alice Russell (Kelsey Anne Johnson). The powerhouse ensemble, perfectly cast by director Dana Pellebon, displays killer voices of enormous range. They morph from dissonant howls to headbanging hard rock to full-throated power ballads, but then are able to deliver soft, intricate harmonies on songs of loss, betrayal and pain. There’s even a traditional hymn that could not be performed with more reverence and grace. In every moment of this sung-through show, in every style, the cast shows off its considerable musical prowess, travelling from somber, melodic restraint to all-out punk rage.
The deceptively simple set — a black platform with a set of stairs on each end — is used to great effect, covering the wide stage of the Fredric March. Projections on the back wall aid the storytelling; some images are literal (photos of the Borden’s house and the beaten and bloody bodies of the deceased) and others are pastoral or abstract images that beautifully underscore the lyrics. Eric Holmer’s projection design sets the mood and supports the action onstage.
It would be easy to believe that Lizzie was written expressly for this cast — that’s how well each actor embodies her character. As the title character, Meghan Randolph exhibits her signature vocal pyrotechnics; she transforms from a broken and confused young girl to a confident, even frightening, woman who feels no remorse for exacting revenge on those who have abused her. Her portrayal of Lizzie’s budding love affair with her neighbor Alice is one of the most poignant and heartfelt parts of the show.
As Alice, Madison newcomer Kelsey Anne Johnson is also astonishing. As her character’s genuine love for Lizzie is transformed to heartbreak and then horror, the reprise of her song “Maybe Someday” is painfully haunting.
Playing Lizzie’s older sister Emma, Liz Griffith shines as the smarter, more stable sibling, whose horrific rage is confined to the will that their father drew up, leaving his entire estate to their dreaded stepmother. Stomping her black boots on the floor in time with her anger, her punked-out schoolgirl costume can’t hide how bad good girls can be. And as the maid, Bridget Sullivan, Erin McConnell appears to be having the most fun of all. Part narrator and part devil on the girls’ shoulders, she channels a sexually charged mischievous streak that would make Mephistopheles blush.
Costumed in outrageous combinations of sparkles, tulle, ripped stockings and lots of black setting off brights, the cast radiates the rebellion and sharp edges of punk with the power of roller derby queens. Costume designer Jenni Schwaner Ladd and hair and makeup designer Julia McConahay have outfitted the cast for war, and these women bring it — backed up by a kickass band and a boatload of righteous indignation.
But don’t take my word for it. Go see for yourself. And rock out.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of composer Steven Cheslik-deMeyer's name.
