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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#c0504d"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">LIZZIE
BORDEN an intense evening of theatre at the 14<sup>th</sup> Street Theatre</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="1"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:rgb(31,73,125)">(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Lizzie
Borden took an ax, gave her mother forty whacks, when she saw what she had
done, gave her father forty-one.<span style>
</span>That line from a caustic poem not only attempted to describe the 1892
murder of Bordens parents, but became a limerick used gleefully by girls for
jumping rope.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">The grizzly
murder, which, much like the modern day O.J. Simpson case, was
sensationalized.<span style> </span>And, like
Simpson, Lizzie, with a clever defense, was acquitted.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">The trial
revealed the tale of a girl who might have been molested by her supposed
miserly father, emotionally put upon by her step-mother, and might have been involved
in an ongoing affair with her female next door neighbor.<span style> </span></span><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Even
today, curiosity over the case has amateur sleuths searching for the truth. </span><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Doesnt
sound like the basis for a musical, does it?<span style> </span>Well, in the hands of music and book conceivers Steven
Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt, it turns out to be a fascinating
topic.<span style> </span>Add to that the dynamic
talent of Baldwin Wallace Colleges musical theatre students, and the creative
and focused direction of Victoria Bussert, place the whole thing in the
intimate 14<sup>th</sup> Street Theatre, and you have one hell of an exciting
evening of theatre.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">The score,
composed of traditional and modern rock, as well as several ballads, carries
the burden of the script.<span style> </span>Few
lines are spoken.<span style> </span>The pounding
music highlights the moods of the characters as well as beating the audience
into psychological submission.<span style> </span>The
viewer is carried away emotionally with the unending intensity.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">This is the
kind of script that Bussert does so well.<span style>
</span>Its quirky, allows for creativity in staging and character
interpretation, and is well written.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">The
four-woman cast has been well-honed by Bussert.<span style> </span>They are emotionally present at all times, never wavering
from their excitement of telling the tale.<span style> </span>The story is often visually gruesome, yet, there is comic
relief.<span style> </span>Lizzie, for example,
pulverizes her father and step-mothers skulls by her whacking away at pictures
of the duo attached to watermelons.<span style>
</span>Audience members in the first few rows are given plastic ponchos in
order to avoid the flying melon inners.<span style>
</span>Some appropriately overdone scenes add sadistic mirth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">In order to
give students the needed live theatre experience, there are two casts.<span style> </span>I saw the Axe group, so my comments
can only describe that cast. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Shannon
OBoyle is pretty, innocent looking, and a perfect Lizzie.<span style> </span>She doesnt appear to be capable of
such a heinous deed, but when she lets loose vocally and emotionally, you can
believe that she whacked away. <span style> </span>Her
<i style>Maybe Someday/Gotta Get Out of Here</i>
was well-sung, foreshadowing what was to come.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Sophie
Brown, as Bridget Sullivan, the familys maid, played the role to the
hilt.<span style> </span>Her overdone butch demeanor
helped create comic relief.<span style>
</span>Her <i style>The Fall Of The House of
Borden</i> was excellent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Beautiful
Ciara Renιe, with her flashing eyes, menacing voice and severe body movements,
gave a clear indication of the inner negative thoughts of Emma, Lizzies older
sister.<span style> </span><i style>Sweet Little Sister</i>, which was sung with OBoyle, was beautifully
interpreted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">Pretty
Rachel Michelle Jones, as the Bordens next door neighbor, and possibly
Lizzies love interest, was convincing as Alice Russell. <i style>Will You Stay</i>, sung with OBoyle, was a beautifully interpreted
love song.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">The voices were
universally wonderful.<span style> </span>These young
ladies are Broadway ready!<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">If there
was one flaw in the production, it was the musical direction of Matthew
Webb.<span style> </span>Though the band was
excellent, Webb failed to keep the musicians in check.<span style> </span>Often the heavy sound of the music
drowned out the performers.<span style> </span>This
is not a rock concert.<span style> </span>We need to
hear the words of the singers in order to grasp the meaning.<span style> </span>In addition, he often upstaged the
performers with his dancing while directing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:</span></i><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"><span style> </span><i style>LIZZIE BORDEN was yet
another of those special productions resulting from the collaboration of
PlayhouseSquare and BW.<span style> </span>Its too
bad that the show was only presented for 4 performances, because this is the
type of production that would have built a cult following.<span style> </span>Bravos for Vickie Bussert and her BW
students for a rocking evening of fine entertainment.</i></span><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:#1f497d"></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:#c0504d"></span></p>