Review: MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY is Pure Theatrical Magic

MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY was originally produced as a full-length, site-specific show at the VORTEX Theatre in 2009; and since then, paper chairs has been condensing the piece into the current gem now on display for three nights only in East Austin.

This backwoods musical is spun from the ghosts of legendary criminals during a killing spree. A lone sheriff tries to corral these demons as they sing and dance with loaded weapons until no one is left standing. Part existential whodunit, part slapstick haunting, and part ramshackle hoedown, this piece investigates the many ways and whys death sentences are carried out. The original inspiration for this piece was the murder ballads that have been around forever. Tom Dooley and Stagger Lee are among the legendary characters that inhabit the piece.

The cast for MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY is exceptional: Noel Gaulin as Stagger Lee, Kelli Bland as the Sheriff, April Perez Moore as Felicity, Mark Stewart as Tom, Laura Freeman as Tom's Wife, Elizabeth Doss as Bea, Rachel Dendy as Sadie and Patrick Shaw as Jay. They are as tight an ensemble as you are ever likely to see on stage. This 8 person cast acts, sings, dances, plays all the musical instruments and even lights the action with hand held light sources. The end result is nothing short of pure theatrical magic.

The script and book by Elizabeth Doss and Original Score by Mark Stewart are a taught and exciting piece of roots theatre. This is pure story telling. Directed by Natalie George and Keri Boyd, this piece runs like a finely tuned piece of machinery; yet is full of heart, humor and high theatrical style. It is exhilarating to see such a pure piece of story telling... part ghost story around a camp fire, part child play and part unique new murder ballad in its own right. The Costume Design by Hope Bennett is perfect and evokes exactly the right mood.

Do yourself a favor and go spend an hour with MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY to remind yourself of just how much fun it is to experience the art of story telling in the finest sense.

MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY - Book by Elizabeth Doss. Original Score by Mark Stewart.

Running time: 50 minutes with no intermission.

MURDER BALLAD MURDER MYSTERY, produced by paper chairs and Natalie George Productions, plays Ryan McKerley's Studio (2710 Cesar Chavez St E, Austin, Texas 78702) now thru September 29th. All performances at 8pm. There is handicap parking in the driveway at the venue. Tickets are $5-10 suggested donation and are available at the door. QUESTIONS: info@paperchairs.com or 512.686.6621

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Need more Austin Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...