Choreography Concept
"Burn the Old Thing Up" from Lizzie the Musical
Song Written by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt
Choreography by Siobhan McNulty
About the Show
Lizzie the Musical is a punk-rock fantasy inspired by the life of Lizzie Borden. In the heat of late summer 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife are found murdered in their house. The main suspect in the murders is Andrew’s youngest daughter from a previous marriage, Lizzie Borden. Using a searing rock score, and based on the historical record, LIZZIE explores the heady and heated days leading up to the murder and Lizzie’s controversial acquittal of all charges and the creation of a new American myth.
Though much is still in question in the real life story of the Bordens, the musical proposes the narrative of Lizzie as an abuse survivor who reached her final fracture. Taking a nuanced look at the costs of vengeance and slippery slope of deceit, Lizzie the Musical centers the four women left to deal with the aftermath of the murder: the accused, the sister, the lover and the maid. All of whom express themselves through a high-octane score inspired by the likes of Bikini Kill, The Runaways and Heart.
Instead of taking the classic murder mystery route, Lizzie the Musical provides a space for unbridled female rage, while asking what it really means to go a bridge to far.
The Song
"Burn the Old Thing Up" takes place in the second act as Emma, Lizzie's sister vows to do what it takes to shield her sister from the law, including burning evidence. As the two women stand before a raging fire and the blood-soaked dress Lizzie wore when she axed her father and stepmother, Emma leaves Lizzie the responsibility to "burn the old thing up".
In the flames, Lizzie sees the figures of the two other crucial women in her life: Bridget, her maid, the one person who knows part of the truth and has no particular allegiance to or against her, and Alice, her neighbor and secret lover, who is slowly growing more aware and afraid of Lizzie's dark side.
Approach
The song moves between fearful tension and cathartic release: this feeling is the point, and it is what I want to capture. No gimmicks or tricks, just movement, feeling and beautiful music.
I have imagined the song in multiple ways, but always in the style presented by previous productions of Lizzie, ie a rock concert/victorian gothic fantasy. But rather than the traditional rock thrashing movement style, I am looking for a contemporary gestural aesthetic
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's choreography on Jagged Little Pill and Bill T Jones' work on the original Broadway production of Spring Awakening have both been inspirations at various point. I have even played around with the idea of giving the four women "dance avatars" and ensemble members to assist in telling the story, much like the use of ensemble doubling in Jagged Little Pill. This was also inspired by a previous project I had the pleasure to perform in: Next to Normal as choreographed by Bailee Fyock.
Choreographing this piece to work with a varying amount of resources has been a great way for me to stretch and think about my work in the context of a full production. I will probably never be done with this piece, as I keep discovering that the possibilities are endless.
First Choreography Defense (2023)
Inspiration
Trials
Dancers Featured: Heather Hellquist and Mia Rivera Morales
Natalie Barnes