Forum Title: LIZZIE BORDEN SOCIETY
Topic Area: Stay to Tea
Topic Name: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie

1. "Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by Tina-Kate on May-22nd-03 at 10:23 PM

I just got home from seeing our poster Emma as Miss Lizzie/Bridget in "Blood Relations" tonite.  It was really good!

Emma is so cute!  She looks a bit like Lizzie & even has red hair!  Her performance was very strong & balanced.  Her Irish accent (as Bridget) was superb.  Outside @ intermission, all the comments were about her & how good she was.  For a highschool production, I was really quite impressed.

I hope she does post some pics as promised. 

The venue was quite small -- a theatre arts classroom set up with chairs.  Unfortunately, those of us sitting toward the back had trouble seeing the actors when they played near the floor.  I wonder why they didn't put it on in the auditorium.  It would have been helpful even to have had risers.

They had two bulletin boards @ the back of the class, 1 with pics of the cast, the other with a bit of history & pics of the Borden murders & even a few of Nance!

The play itself (Blood Relations, by Sharon Pollack) was interesting, but lots of artistic license.  John Vinnicum Morse becomes "Harry Wingate" (Harry W, hahaha!).  & there's a puzzling "married Irish Doctor" called Dr Patrick, with whom Lizzie has an ongoing flirtation (Dr Bowen made Irish?)  The play is set in "The Borden Family Home in FR...late autumn 1902" (of course, this should be Maplecroft) & the same place, Aug 3 & 4, 1892.  Lizzie is entertaining "The Actress" (presumably, Nance O'Neil) who is determined to know if Lizzie "did it".  Lizzie takes her back & magically, "The Actress" becomes Lizzie & Lizzie takes on the persona of Bridget.

The murder is spurred on by Harry Wingate negotiating with Andrew to buy the farm, some erroneous former business over "the Millhouse", Andrew's murdering Lizzie's pigeons & of course the dysfunctional family dynamic.  There was a great bit near the end where Lizzie sez to Emma (Emma Borden):  "If I'm guilty; so are you.  I dared to do say all the things you only wished you could say, & do all the things you only wished you could do..."  (I'm paraphrasing).  BTW, the girl who played Emma was hilarious...she looked tired & the epitome of the one-dimensional, quiet, morose mouse Emma is rumored to be.  They also have Emma leaving on the morning of Aug 4(!) to visit "the Girls" & get away from the heat.  Lizzie thus thinks Emma is abandoning her.

All very entertaining.  I had a great time.

Thanks Emma, for letting us know about it!


2. "Re: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by emma on May-22nd-03 at 11:02 PM
In response to Message #1.

Thanks for the great review! I'll have to show it to the cast. Yes, it is too bad we couldn't have put it on in the auditorium, but our Dance show is using it for their production of "Alice in Wonderland" next week. Also, our director wanted the intimacy of the small space, both so the audience would be more involved and so the set would reflect the small size of the house. I agree that the artistic licence the author used takes away somewhat from the authenticity of the story, but personally, I think it makes more sense that the Morse character be Abby's brother, after all, he seemed to side with her on most issues, and thought she deserved "more than her widow's share, because she was more thrifty and faithful" than Sarah had been. (Sorry for my gross paraphrasing).
     I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm extremely flattered that you thought my performance was "strong" (and you thought I was "cute"!). Thanks for coming to see it and I'll be sure to post some pictures as soon as I can!


3. "Re: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by Kat on May-23rd-03 at 12:21 AM
In response to Message #2.

Congratulations on your premiere!
And thank you both for the review & emma's *feedback*.

I have a question...where is that quote from, about Morse siding with Abby as being more frugal & faithful etc. than Andrew's first wife?
It comes from Ray, but he's never copped to source.
Thanks ahead of time.


4. "Re: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by harry on May-23rd-03 at 12:31 AM
In response to Message #1.

Harry W. as the Uncle Morse character! All right!

Congratulations Emma, it must have been fun.

And good for you Tina-Kate for going to see the play. And thanks for the review.


5. "Re: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by Susan on May-23rd-03 at 2:53 AM
In response to Message #2.

Congratulations, Emma!  Dying to see those pics!  It sounds alot more interesting than some of the theater arts productions I was involved in at school.

Thanks for the review, Tina-Kate. 


6. "Re: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by Tina-Kate on May-23rd-03 at 5:54 PM
In response to Message #5.

Here's a review from 1 of our papers today re the Shaw Festival version --

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030523/RVBLOO//?query=Lizzie+Borden


7. "Re: Blood Relations - Emma as Lizzie"
Posted by emma on May-24th-03 at 12:56 PM
In response to Message #6.

yeah, I read that one too. I'm going to see the Shaw production on June 4th. Maybe I'll post my own little review of it here. I can't wait to see another interpretation of my character.



 

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