More than 130 years after the brutal murders of Andrew and Abby Borden shocked America, the question still lingers: did Lizzie Borden really kill her father and stepmother with an axe, or was she the victim of one of history’s most enduring rushes to judgement?

Out Of The Forest Theatre’s Bury the Hatchet revisits the infamous 1892 case, but this is no dry historical retelling. Blending true crime, courtroom drama, folk music, comedy and audience participation, writer Sasha Wilson and director Vicky Moran have created a slick, inventive and hugely entertaining 70-minute piece that manages to feel both educational and thoroughly modern.

One of the production’s greatest strengths is the sheer amount it packs into its running time. The story explores the murders themselves, the investigation, Victorian attitudes towards women, developments in forensic science and the media frenzy surrounding the trial, all without ever feeling rushed or overloaded. The pace rarely slackens, and the show constantly finds new ways to engage its audience. Remarkably, despite cramming so much into just 70 minutes, it is never boring.

The production rests in the capable hands of three exceptional actor-musicians: Sasha Wilson, Lawrence Boothman and David Leopold. All three switch effortlessly between acting, singing and playing instruments, bringing energy, humour and versatility to the storytelling. There is not a weak link among them, although Wilson brings an extra dash of panache to proceedings, delivering her own material with obvious confidence and flair.

Music proves one of the evening’s highlights. Familiar songs including Wicked Game, Feelin’ Good and Ain’t No Grave are woven seamlessly into the narrative, while the cast’s musicianship adds texture and momentum throughout. The performances are uniformly strong, with some particularly impressive vocal work.

The production is also visually striking. Damien Stanton’s minimalist set, combined with Helen Stewart’s costumes and Will Alder’s lighting, creates a distinctive Victorian world dominated by a bold red-and-black palette. The blood-red and black floor is especially effective, while cleverly labelled props and costume pieces add a playful theatricality that perfectly complements the show’s blend of history, humour and performance. Stewart’s black-and-red Victorian costume for Lizzie is particularly memorable, capturing both the period setting and the production’s mischievous, heightened theatrical style. Rather than striving for strict realism, the production embraces storytelling and imagination, resulting in several memorable moments of inventive physical theatre.

Humour is another key ingredient. Despite dealing with a double murder, the show is frequently laugh-out-loud funny. The three performers throw themselves into proceedings with infectious energy. Lawrence Boothman, in particular, embraces the show’s physical comedy with gusto. At one point he commits so wholeheartedly to a comic sequence that I spent a few seconds genuinely concerned he might be sick on my foot! Fortunately for my shoes, and the rest of the audience, he wasn’t. And David….the bonnets are absolutely you! The comedy never undermines the darker elements of the story, however, and instead serves to make the historical material more accessible.

Perhaps the production’s cleverest device comes at the end, when the audience is invited to deliver its own verdict on the way out of the theatre. More than a century after the real trial ended in acquittal, opinion in the room remained divided, a testament to how effectively the show presents competing interpretations of the evidence. The truth remains elusive, and Bury the Hatchet wisely resists the temptation to offer easy answers.

Slick, clever and packed with invention, Bury the Hatchet demonstrates how fresh and engaging historical theatre can be. By combining true crime, music and playful theatricality, Out Of The Forest Theatre have transformed a familiar story into an evening that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. It is a production that wears its considerable intelligence lightly and leaves audiences with plenty to discuss long after the final verdict has been delivered.

UTS Rating: 🎭🎭🎭🎭

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