The rise of Lizzie Borden has intrigued and captivated people for over a century. Born in 1860, Lizzie Andrew Borden became one of the most infamous figures in American history following the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. The case attracted widespread media attention and has since been the subject of numerous books, plays, and movies. Lizzie Borden's trial became a sensation of its time, as it featured a woman accused of committing such a heinous crime, which was highly unusual for that era. Despite the evidence stacked against her, including a lack of alibi, inconsistencies in her statements, and even a witness testimonial placing her near the murder scene, Lizzie was acquitted by the jury. The trial's outcome fueled speculation and debate, with some believing in Lizzie's innocence and others convinced of her guilt.
The trial's outcome fueled speculation and debate, with some believing in Lizzie's innocence and others convinced of her guilt. The case inspired a nursery rhyme: "Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.
DramaWatch: the magic (cloth) of the season
Imago Theatre has built much of its reputation on an evolving series of family-friendly mask-theater shows such as the ever-popular ZooZoo, which it brings back for another holiday run through Jan. 6. But after decades presenting that show, its much-lauded predecessor Frogz, and the closely related Biglittlethings, Imago co-founders Jerry Mouawad and Carol Triffle don’t do much with them anymore.
“We don’t really work those shows,” Mouawad says. “We have video to refer to, and a bunch of really seasoned performers who’ve been touring the material, so they put the show back together, get it on its feet, and then Carol and I will just come in and fine tune things.”
That approach seems to work, as the ingeniously anthropomorphized animals and other creatures of ZooZoo continue to brim with recognizable life and relatable humor. But it’s not as if Mouawad and Triffle are sitting around resting on their fluffy, fabricated, polar-bear-sized laurels.
“The Magic Cloth,” shown with “ZooZoo” at Imago Theatre. Photo: courtesy of Imago Theatre.
This run of ZooZoo will include a special bonus feature — “The Magic Cloth,” a new Imago vignette created in collaboration with the master production designer Michael Curry, a Portlander famed for his puppetry, costuming and other work for Broadway’s The Lion King, Cirque du Soleil and others.
“It’s very simple,” Mouawad says of the new piece, taking a brief break from tech rehearsals. “A boy and his sister are out playing with their dog. They discover a small black box, and out of it comes a red cloth about six-feet square. It moves magically and it’s mysterious and makes them laugh. It’s clown theater with stage-magic puppetry.”
Simple, of course, is hard to do well. Perhaps that’s especially true for theater predicated largely on design and movement, such as “The Magic Cloth” and the various other mask and costume vignettes in ZooZoo. “This six-minute piece is as much work as any of my other plays, maybe more,” Mouawad says.
In fact, “The Magic Cloth” has been years in the weaving, so to speak.
It’s origins are in Curry’s ambitious 2001 multimedia show Spirits, which Mouawad recalls seeing at the Keller Auditorium. In one of that show’s pieces, BodyVox’s Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland danced along with a large cloth that “seemed to move and glide through the stage without any mechanism or strings or method I could detect. I had been studying illusions and creating them for decades but this one really surprised and mystified me.”
Years later, Mouawad met Curry and asked him about the cloth. “He was really generous. He told me how it worked and took me all around his studio and showed me all the things needed to make it work.”
With Curry’s blessing, Imago set out to create its own story utilizing the effect. “We workshopped it three or four years ago and it never made it to the stage,” Mouawad says. Having returned to the concept more fruitfully, Mouawad says it might be developed further, perhaps as the basis for a stand-alone theatrical show, or even as part of a children’s television program that would also incorporate the playful “creatures” of ZooZoo. He sounds excited.
“It’s a very simple effect, done very simply. Yet if I turned all the lights on (while showing it) you’d still be somewhat amazed.”
Vamping on a theme
Tobias Andersen is one of the most respected and well-liked of Portland-area theater artists, with an enthusiasm that’s contagious. Run into him in the past few months and that enthusiasm likely has been spilling out about the play he’s directing at the Chapel Theatre in Milwaukie, Vampire Tapestry.
For all the respect I have for Andersen’s taste and skills, I’ve listened to that enthusiasm with a bit of a sinking feeling: “A vampire story? Oh, dear lord.” No doubt I’m in the minority on this, but for me the mention of anything to do with vampires, zombies, werewolves or the like triggers a big, flashing “Do Not Care” sign in my mind. However trenchant the allegory or skillful the storytelling, my general distaste for horror and the supernatural wins out.
But then again, I recall, there’s Conor McPherson’s play St. Nicholas, in which vampires play a crucial role. That’s a terrific work — not just insightful but haunting, even a little frightening, in a very human way. So…my apologies to vampire fiction as a genre.
SponsorVampire Tapestry is Andersen’s own adaptation of a book by the same title by Suzy McKee Charnas, which the site FantasyLiterature.com has praised as a “meditation on the mind of a ….non-romanticized, non-demonized predator.” Charnas’ book is a set of five linked novellas, of which one called Unicorn Tapestry won the prestigious Nebula Award when it was published separately in 1981. Charnas wrote her own stage adaptation, Vampire Dreams, which premiered in 1999 (and which Broadway Play Publishing, Inc. lists as a comedy), and as with the Andersen version, it focuses on the Unicorn Tapestry story line, involving a psychotherapist treating a college professor. As described by producer Michael Streeter, “It’s about the relationship between a psychotherapist and her patient as she struggles to determine the root cause of his delusion that he is a vampire.”
Adds Andersen: “The audience has the opportunity, right along with the psychiatrist, to come to the conclusion that he is, or is not, a vampire.
“Or… it’s about a vampire (maybe) undergoing psychoanalysis with a lady psychiatrist who might have a few more problems than he does. And whatever he may be, she’s attracted to him. And If we get down to the bottom of it, we might also say it’s about being alone in an increasingly difficult world.”
Nanny state
Northwest Children’s Theatre’s crowd-pleasing “Mary Poppins” was an awards-winner in 2014. Photo: Northwest Children’s Theater
Four years ago, Northwest Children’s Theatre staged the enduringly charming musical Mary Poppins, sold out all its performances and earned armloads of honors at the Drammys and the Portland Area Musical Theatre Awards. Chrissy Kelly-Pettit flies back into the title role for another twirl of her magic umbrella.
Christmas is coming! Help! HELP!!
Having dedicated an entire ArtsWatch column to the season’s slate of Christmas-themed shows a week or two ago, I’d sincerely hoped to have those presentations wrapped up, pardon the pun. But you might say Santa has a knack for staying in the news cycle. So here’s a few more events we’d missed:
Lakewood Theatre hosts a couple of shows. For especially little ones (age three and older), there’s The Peppermint Bear Show: Who Needs Sneeds, something to do with a bear and elves up against some ill-intentioned brothers with a Grinch-like plan to steal Christmas. And then there’s the apparently continually improving The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which Lakewood is producing for the 22nd time! About a family of miscreants entering the town holiday pageant, it’s directed this year by Michael DeMaio.
Portland Revels, however, might laughing at that paltry 22-year track record, having presented its annual Christmas Revels show for 24 years. This year’s version is called Highland Voyage, a Scottish Celebration of the Winter Solstice, including plenty of Revels traditions (mummers and such), as well as pipers, puppets and poets.
John Longenbaugh is an occasional ArtsWatch contributor, but much more to his credit he’s a veteran theater critic for the Seattle Weekly and other publications and better still he’s the author of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol, which Artists Rep produced several years ago. More to the point here, he’s co-founder of Battleground Productions, which presents a one-night staged reading of his new play The Christmas Case: A Lady Brass Mystery. Expect comedy, romance, intrigue…and holiday references.
A cozy “Carol”: Portland Playhouse has filled houses and warmed hearts for the past five winters with its production of “A Christmas Carol.” Photo: Reina Solunaya.
Our earlier holiday roundup included Portland Playhouse’s popularly straightforward production of A Christmas Carol, but neglected to note the heartening news that the fine Seattle actor Charles Leggett, last seen here down south in Portland Center Stage’s Major Barbara, is taking over the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Closing
The majority of Portland-area actors are about to get a winter break — or at least it seems that way because the courtroom drama Inherit the Wind at Lakewood is about to adjourn, and that cast is huge.
Also flashing to a close are the short-run shows King of the Yees at the Portland Chinatown Museum, and The Hullabaloo Robin Hood.
Best line I read this week
“Stage directions for Baker’s The Aliens…specify that a ‘pause’ is at least three seconds, while a ‘silence’ should be between five and 10. Maybe Baker shows don’t need directors so much as referees.”
— Chris Klimek for the Washington City Paper, reviewing Annie Baker’s John.
That’s all I have for now. I’ll try to do better the next time.
" This rhyme helped solidify Lizzie's place in popular culture. After her acquittal, Lizzie faced public scrutiny and ostracism from many social circles. She lived a secluded life until her death in 1927, with many people continuing to harbor suspicions about her involvement in the murders. The case remains unsolved to this day, leaving us to wonder about the true events that unfolded in the Borden household that fateful day. The enduring fascination with Lizzie Borden can be attributed to several factors. First, her story taps into our inherent curiosity about murder mysteries and the macabre. The gruesome nature of the crime and the mystery surrounding it continues to captivate true crime enthusiasts and amateur sleuths. Second, Lizzie Borden challenges traditional gender roles and expectations. As a woman accused of such a violent crime, she defied societal norms, making her a figure of both horror and fascination. Her case shed light on the complexities of female aggression, mental health, and societal prejudices. Finally, the case of Lizzie Borden raises questions about justice and the legal system. The acquittal of someone widely suspected of the crime prompted much debate about the role of evidence, gender bias, and the reliability of the legal process itself. Despite all the speculations and theories, the case of Lizzie Borden will likely always remain an enigma. The rise of Lizzie Borden and the enduring interest in her story reveal our society's fascination with crime, gender, and the pursuit of justice. Whether she was a cold-blooded killer or a victim of circumstance, Lizzie Borden's name will forever be associated with one of America's most captivating and enduring murder mysteries..
Reviews for "The Influence of Lizzie Borden on True Crime Culture"
1. John - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Vyrse of Lizzie Bsrden" based on the intriguing premise, but I was ultimately left disappointed. The storytelling felt disjointed and confusing, making it difficult to follow the plot. Additionally, the characters lacked depth and development, leaving me uninvested in their fates. Overall, I found it to be a tedious read that didn't live up to its potential.
2. Sarah - 3 stars - While "The Vyrse of Lizzie Bsrden" had an interesting concept, I found the execution to be lacking. The pacing was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. The writing style was also overly pretentious, making it difficult to connect with the story or characters on a deeper level. Although it had its moments, overall, I found the book to be underwhelming and not particularly memorable.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I really struggled to get through "The Vyrse of Lizzie Bsrden". The plot was convoluted and difficult to follow, with little explanation provided for the events taking place. The characters were also poorly developed, making it hard to care about their motivations or actions. Additionally, the writing style was overly flowery and unnecessarily complex, which only added to the confusion. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.
4. Alex - 1 star - "The Vyrse of Lizzie Bsrden" was a complete disappointment. The story felt forced and disjointed, with no clear direction or purpose. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked any depth or complexity. The writing style was verbose and pretentious, making it a chore to read. I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately, it fell far short of my expectations.
5. Michelle - 2 stars - I had heard rave reviews about "The Vyrse of Lizzie Bsrden", but I found it to be highly overrated. The story was confusing and lacked cohesion, jumping between different timelines and perspectives without clear transitions. The author attempted to create an immersive world, but it ultimately felt contrived and uninteresting. The characters were forgettable, and their actions often left me scratching my head. Overall, I was disappointed by this book and would not recommend it.