Open Eye Theatre opens new season with LIZZIE: The Rock Musical

Article by Becky Filliner, photos provided

The character of Lizzie Borden, as portrayed in this show and by the wonderful performer Lux Mortenson, is a figure that is at once vulnerable, dangerous and thrilling.

A discussion with Artistic Director, Joel Sass

Open Eye Theatre has a banger of a season opener with LIZZIE: The Rock Musical. It’s a retelling of one of the original American true crime stories, Lizzie Borden and the murder of her parents in 1892. We spoke to Open Eye’s Producing Artistic Director Joel Sass about why the musical is perfect for the theater and how the audience member will be treated to a blend of live punk rock concert, history lesson, Victorian gothic fashion show and edge of the seat suspense. Sounds like a winner to me. It's only on stage for a month, October 9 – November 2 - get your tickets here.

Joel Sass

Q:  What drew you to LIZZIE and why did you feel it was the right show for Open Eye at this time?  

A:  LIZZIE has one of the best rock music theater scores around, drawing comparisons with Hedwig & the  Angry Inch and the recent musical Six about the wives of Henry VIII. Like those pieces, LIZZIE leans into the performance energy of a live concert, and provides incredible roles for a quartet of women music-theater performers who will blow the roof off our little theater! Open Eye is proud to be a theatrical home to promising performing artists, and the LIZZIE project is an ideal match for several artists we've been enjoying working with in recent years.

Q:  The musical blends true crime, history, and rock opera - how do you balance those elements on stage? 

A:  I love a project that combines several elements that might appear at first to contradict each other, but actually combine to create something singular and unique. You might say that achieving that balance has long been part of the 'Open Eye brand!' As a culture we are fascinated by true crime stories: there is always a new documentary, or podcast, or TV anthology...just think of Only Murders in the Building, or the series of star-powered true crime dramatizations produced by Ryan Murphy on Netflix. LIZZIE draws on the enduring notoriety and fascination with one of the first true crime tabloid celebrities, and embellishes the known facts and enduring mysteries with a dramatically rich and emotionally compelling version of the tale. A rock opera treatment is the perfect approach for this material, amplifying the heightened emotions of what was then (and still remains) one of the "Crimes of the Century."

Q:  Can you talk about the collaboration between music, choreography, and design in shaping the atmosphere?

A:  LIZZIE is intended to live somewhere between a rock concert, a 'legit' musical, and a staged concept album - exactly the sort of one-of-a-kind, unique theater experience Open Eye exists to produce. Our jewel-box stage will be decorated with Victorian gothic wrought iron frames, ominous family portraits, and our usual trick-or-treat bag of visual surprises: floating bird cages, smoking teacups, and a Victorian dollhouse. Costumes by Samantha Fromme will be a punk-rock reimagining of Victorian period garments that gradually decay as the characters’ rebellion grows. The musicians in the band (aka "The Forty Whacks") will be surrounding the performers and the playing area, giving the audience an extremely intimate and visceral musical experience. Open Eye is thrilled to collaborate for the first time with choreographer Abby Magalee, who will bring a mixture of punk-rock thrashing and Victorian voguing to the character's physicality!

Q:  LIZZIE deals with repression, female rage, and power. How do you hope audiences connect with these themes today?

A:  The legend of Lizzie Borden contains enough unresolved mystery that any number of themes can be drawn out or woven into it. In this musical treatment, the rage, passion, and rebellion of the female characters is placed unapologetically front and center in a manner that is traditionally only granted to male protagonists - so in that way the piece feels very fresh and modern. The character of Lizzie Borden, as portrayed in this show and by the wonderful performer Lux Mortenson, is a figure that is at once vulnerable, dangerous and thrilling.

Q:  What do you think this story reveals about gender, justice, and violence - both in Lizzie’s time and ours?  

A:  We might not like to think it, but America has always had a fascination with violence - especially when that violence might manifest through a female form. These figures have at times become a type of folk hero in the popular imagination. While the historical Lizzie Borden was eventually acquitted of the crimes of which she was accused, our musical accepts the fact that she did swing that axe. The musical wrestles with the question of whether that act was justified, and how the combined social and gender inequities Lizzie was subjected to influenced the events in the House of Borden.

Q:  You’ve worn many hats in Twin Cities theater- director, designer, playwright. How do those experiences inform your directing process?  

A:  I've been so lucky to have worn so many different hats as a theater-maker! Those experiences have given me a deep understanding and appreciation of the many contributions the LIZZIE team is making to this process, and how to support the success of others. My directing process is primarily that of articulating a clear vision for the piece, while empowering everyone to share ownership and agency for contributing their unique artistry to the end result.

Q:  How do you hope this production of LIZZIE contributes to Open Eye’s identity as a bold, adventurous theater space?  

A:  Our approach to LIZZIE will synthesize everything Open Eye does so well: a platform for extraordinary emerging talent, combined with amazing visual art in our intimate space...  A lot of creative imagination, a little bit of surreal puppetry, and live music round it all out. We're able to offer the Twin Cities some high-quality, one-of-a-kind theater that isn't found elsewhere, and LIZZIE: The Rock Musical is a perfect way to launch another ambitious and exciting new season!

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