Bury The Hatchet

Review by Penny

⭐️⭐️⭐️

lThe story of Lizzie Borden and the violent murder of her father and stepmother is one that has fascinated people for over a century, now yielding a second musical staging of the saga!

The tone of the show is instantly charming in its self-awareness, with some excellent jokes worked into a fast-paced script, albeit one or two that are overly spoon-fed. The performers themselves are masterfully in sync with each other and easily engage the audience throughout, even responding to an unexpected phone alert with good-humoured grace! While all three are able to jump between the story’s array of different characters – Lawrence Boothman is a notable talent, demonstrating a range of skill from the sincere to utterly sinister – we aren’t given enough insight into their player personas to make the out-of-character moments as enjoyable as they might otherwise be.

The musical interludes throughout the piece, while not adding anything to the story itself, are still very enjoyable, though when the lyrics are particularly fast paced, they aren’t easily heard. The bookend song, “Feeling Good”, feels slightly out of place against the rest of the more folk-feeling bluegrass numbers that punctuate the rest of the show and feel much more in-keeping with its setting.

Will Alder’s lighting is simple but excellent – perfectly matching the mood at every moment and keeping us in the modern age as we jump back into a piece of history. The set is well suited other than a glitterball axe – sorry, hatchet – that hangs from the ceiling before we begin. While great fun, this raises expectations of a high-camp disco production that just aren’t met.

The main takeaway is the question of whether this is a story worth telling – in its current state, while a fun evening at the theatre, it doesn’t offer anything new, interesting, or especially exciting. There are plenty of opportunities to make clear the parallels between this story and today’s society that are left untouched, potential unmet.

🎭 @swkplay

🎟️ @OutOfTheForestTheatre

{Gifted | PR Invite}