I’m incredibly late to the party when it comes to Doctuh Mistuh’s Lizzie the Musical. Already a winner of multiple awards, with this very cast and crew, the pedigree of this production spoke for itself before I even set foot in Austin Playhouse. While I was ready for solid work, given both the acclaim this production has already received; and the level of quality I’ve come to expect from Michael McKelvey’s Doctuh Mistuh Productions, a company whose work has become a stalwart Summer treat in Austin’s arts calendar, even despite the relocation of both its artistic director and most of its principal players, I wasn’t ready for the raw, foreboding, explosive spectacle that is Lizzie. Underlined by hard-driving riot grrl Punk Rock, Lizzie takes us into the House of Borden, where mistreatment and abuse run rampant and a growing tension hangs over every movement, every moment. Even if one didn’t know the story of Lizzie Borden coming into the musical (and ignored that opening song about her horrifically murdering her family), one could tell by this uneasy atmosphere alone what’s at stake, and as the temperature rises to a boil on this particular pot, the incendiary places this work goes are nothing short of breathtaking.
Director Michael McKelvey has an uncanny ability to transport his audiences into the worlds of his works. Whether it’s a pop punk 19th century in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; or the campy halls of a troubled high school in Heathers, McKelvey is able to call together such precise talents to bring the landscapes of each musical to life in a truly immersive way. In Lizzie, the journey to another world is a dark plunge into a shadowy pool. From early on, we’re thrown into a pitch-black nightmare world, full of sadness, mistreatment, and death. Though there are moments of levity, and even touching moments of lovely intimacy, most of Lizzie is a relentless experience, and everything from Glenda Wolfe’s award-winning costume design; the clever, minimalist set designed by Mike Toner; to driving, steady beat of the quartet of incredibly skilled backing musicians help to underline the darkness of the heart at the piece. One would think that a piece moving at that steady, merciless a clip would be hard to take, but thanks to the wide range of talent on display here, Lizzie is nothing short of mesmerizing from word one.
The emotions on display in Lizzie the Musical are not small. Part of the unyielding quality of the play is that so many of these characters’ feelings are so out in the open, and none moreso than those of the play’s titular character. In the wrong hands the character of Lizzie could become campy or unbelievable, but thanks to an absolutely resolute turn from Stella Frye-Ginsberg, Lizzie, one of history’s most famous murderers, is shown as a sensitive soul torn apart by the world around her, whose only recourse is a primal scream of outrageous violence, matched in tone by the primal scream of her music. Indeed, some of the play’s most impressive moments occur when that whistling kettle of tense anger is met in the music, such as in one of the play’s most outrageous numbers “Why Are All These Heads Off”, a dynamite number about dead birds, or the climatic culmination of that fury (whether righteous or otherwise) in the Bikini Kill Riot Grrl-inspired number “Somebody Will Do Something” (that something, my dear readers, is exactly what you think it is) . What really sells Frye-Ginsbergs’ performance though is how her sorrowful, sensitive performance slowly transforms into a haughty menace as we go into the second act, turning our beliefs on their heads as lovers and friends alike are thrown aside in the interest of fame of freedom. When she finally walks out at final curtain, all dolled up in a shiny red dress, we see something so far from the sad, cowering girl from the opening acts, it’s a devious delight to see.
Of course, the piece would be nothing without its supporting players, for it’s when this quality quartet is working in harmony that the true magic happens. Numbers like the “House of Borden” or the above-mentioned “Somebody Will Do Something” work so perfectly partly because there’s such a quality chorus creating these beautiful, horrifying moments. Each piece on the board plays an important role in completing this glorious gestalt. Maryanna Tollemache’s doe-eyed tenderness as Alice Russell, Lizzie’s neighbor, best friend (and possible lover), seems too perfect and pure for this dark world, and one of the true heartbreaks of the piece is watching her lovely innocence, one of the true lights in the shadows of this work, tarnish in the midst of the madness. Libby Dees Detling’s Bridget Sullivan, Lizzie’s housekeeper (and perhaps co-conspirator), however, seems to live perfectly in this darkness, playing almost as a mischievous sprite or spell-weaving crone, poisoning Lizzie’s mind (and possibly body), helping to lead her down her dark path. At the conflux of this all is Leslie Hollingsworth Vander Gheynsth as Lizzie’s sister Emma, perhaps the most level-headed and sane of the characters (though in this batch, that’s not saying much), a stabilizing force of love and support for Lizzie in a world where everything is trying to pull her into the quagmire, a role the actress takes on with steady and commanding presence.
Like so many of Doctuh Mistuh’s works, Lizzie will not be a play for everyone. It’s moody, it’s dark, it’s driving score is unrelenting and explosive, and those who can’t handle a bit of stone-hard punk rock should probably head elsewhere. Those willing to plunge themselves in the dark, brooding, dangerous world of the blood-soaked wonderland of Lizzie the Musical, however, will be absolutely entranced by the artistry and worldbuilding on display, drowning in the whirlpool of absolute talent. That this is only the first of three productions Doctuh Mistuh is producing this Summer is absolute delight, as this group came out of the door like a bullet.
Doctuh Mistuh’s production of Lizzie the Musical runs approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes with one 15 minute intermission, and is playing at Austin Playhouse through July 20th, 2025. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit doctuhmistuh.org.
Photos courtesy of Doctuh Mistuh Productions.
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