BWW Reviews: STC's BLOOD RELATIONS Is Overly Complicated

Many have attempted to fictionalize the tale of Lizzie Borden. Hell, there's even a rock musical version of the story (that is awesome, by the way). Why? Because we all love a scandal. If this had happened today it'd be all over the news-tainment channels and internet for days (until the next scandal comes along). So authors and producers keep coming back to it especially since she got away with it, assuming she really did it at all. No one really knows for sure. And while the tale still lends some fascination, the current retelling in Sound Theatre Company's production of "Blood Relations" manages to get unnecessarily complicated while not really conveying much that's interesting or enlightening about the story.

Sharon Pollock's play goes off the convention of Lizzie (Caitlin Frances), several years after being acquitted of killing her Father and Step-mother (Bill Higham and Jody McCoy), recounting the tale to her actress girlfriend (Peggy Gannon). She is sick of people asking if she really did it especially her sister Emma (Alyssa Keene) and so she's reluctant to delve back into this but she begins to recount the court case which then segues into a recapping of events which then becomes a memory play where the actress friend is now playing Lizzie and Lizzie becomes the family's maid Bridget.

Sound complicated? Well it's not really since the Inception-esque gimmick of the history within a recounting within a court case within a play is barely used save for brief moments of exposition. And so the convention comes off as silly and abandoned as they could have just told the history. Yes, the convention does lend itself to the big final moment of the play but that felt heavy handed and overly profound like the entire play was designed just so they could say that one line. Plus Pollack has chosen to spend way too much focus on the boring aspects of the story like Mrs. Borden's brother Harry (Joseph P. McCarthy) trying to take over the farm and a flirtation between Lizzie and a married man, Dr. Patrick (John Murray), which ultimately amount to muddling the story and stalling for time until we get to the story anyone wants to hear, the murder. I mean it's not a complex story, it fits within a children's nursery rhyme, so why try and make it complicated with heavy handed dialog?

The cast does what they can with the script but even they seem uninterested in telling the tale at times. There are some notable standouts. Gannon and Frances both turn in some quite layered performances as they go from one character to another and their conflict once we finally get to the meat of the story is quite riveting. Unfortunately we've been so laden down with the rest of the over padded script by that point that it's difficult to care.

By the end, the play feels like the author took the "scenic route" to get to the destination but there was little scenery to enjoy on the way making it an unnecessary journey. All of which leads me to a NAH rating from my three letter rating system. I was excited about where we were going but didn't like how we got there which soured the arrival.

"Blood Relations" from Sound Theatre Company performs at the Cornish Playhouse Studio through September 27th. For tickets or information visit them online at www.soundtheatrecompany.org.

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