Review: Forge Light's LIZZIE Kills

If there's one thing I will never get enough of in musicals, it's fierce women belting their faces off. That alone is enough of a reason to tell you why you can't miss Forge Light Theatreworks' current production of Lizzie: The Lizzie Borden Musical.

Directed by Anna High, the rock musical is a somewhat reimagined account of what actually went on during the infamous murders, told through a female quartet. You've of course got Lizzie (Jennasea Pearce), her sister, Emma (Abigail Kochevar); their housekeeper, Bridget (Amy Gray); and next-door neighbor; Alice (Theresa Kellar).

If you're familiar with the story, or even just the poem (Lizzie Borden took an axe...), you'll know Lizzie was suspected of brutally murdering her father and stepmother in their own home. It was 1892, so even though Lizzie was seen burning a stained dress soon after the murders took place, the justice system wasn't solid enough to convict her.

The musical dives into several other details--like her romance with Alice, how her sister Emma covered for her and how the sisters bribed Bridget to stay silent. The book does a good job at keeping what you need to know surface-level without getting overly contextual.

But the story isn't why you should catch this one. The quartet of women is incredibly strong vocally, taking what seems like an intricate score and soaring through it with ease. Pearce's Lizzie grips onto a haunting lunacy you can feel in her exaggerated facial expressions. She plays Lizzie like she did it, but her character development shows you why. Her performance is a level of vulnerability that's rare to experience.

Kochevar perfectly captures the macabre anger in Emma. At times her deadpan is even (correctly) comical, bringing a bit of lightness to even the darkest moments before she drags you back down with her terrifying eye makeup. If you caught her in Howard Barnes--think exactly the opposite character. That kind of range is a treasure.

Gray's Bridget has a wit as sharp as...well, an axe. She provides somewhat of a narrative role, keeping the acting moments drier at first, then evolving the character into a dynamo. When she sings, you're absolutely watching her as she physically embodies the role. There's a magnetism that's hard to not catch.

Kellar's Alice has probably the biggest character transformation, and she handles it gracefully. She starts out as a complete contrast to the Borden household--somewhat shy and sweet, reserved. Her feelings for Lizzie are apparent and not overplayed. As she turns against them, her wrath is vengeful and she evolves so swiftly you almost don't catch it.

While the show could easily be performed concert style with 4 microphones, this production made the staging even more dynamic with a collection of black boxes choreographed for each scene. This paired well with an incredibly effective lighting design by Brian Miller. While I hoped for more of an explosive rock concert feel from this aspect, it was clear they did everything they could with the space they were given.

One of the best parts of the show were the costumes, designed by Lizzie herself (Pearce). Not only did they capture a kind of steampunk metal vibe, they transformed along with the characters, breathing the most life into the performance. They were a character all on their own.

While the book isn't necessarily the production's strongest suit, Forge Light took a simplistic rock show and infused the kind of badass, sexy feminine energy it deserved, bringing it to its best level, unapologetically leaving it all on the stage.

Lizzie: The Lizzie Borden Musical runs through October 31st at the People's Building in Aurora. Attendees must be fully vaccinated or provide a negative Covid test upon entry. For more details, click here.

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