Review: Colin Healy's MADAM Looks at the Seedier Side of St. Louis in the 19th Century

Bellefontaine Cemetary, established in the mid-1800s, is St. Louis oldest cemetery. Plots in the newly established rural cemetery were intended for notable St. Louisans. Among the beer barons and civil war soldiers is the unmarked grave of a prominent St. Louis madam.  

Eliza Haycraft, a famed 19th century brothel owner and philanthropist, is buried among the St. Louis elite in Bellefontaine cemetery. Haycraft, then one of the city’s wealthiest residents and landowners, died at 51. She is the inspiration for Colin Healy’s original musical Madam currently running at the Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar.  

This is Healey’s third iteration of Madam, which premiered in 2019 at Bluff City Theatre in Hannibal, Missouri. It tells a fictional story of a wealthy benefactor’s attempt to acquire a valuable property where one of Haycraft’s brothels sit. While Madam focuses on a single property, At the time of her death, Haycraft owned nearly 20 parcels of property in St. Louis.  

The book of Healy’s musical is theatrical melodrama complete with a mustache-twirling villain. Missing from his cast of characters are the traditional hero and heroine of a melodrama. Instead, they’re replaced by six antiheros, led by 50-year-old Madam Eliza Haycraft. He introduces the brandy swilling Haycraft, near the end of her life, after years of alcohol abuse has taken its toll.  

In Madam, Haycraft has a benevolent spirit, but Healy’s story isn’t focused on her philanthropy. It focuses on how she acquired her wealth and the respect she shows for the women who work for her. Madam Eliza cared for them, protected them, and provided for them. Haycraft is unapologetic for her profession and the success that she worked decades to achieve.  

Musically Healy’s score harkens back to the famed blues and jazz sounds of early St. Louis. The consistent “empire” leitmotif reinforces the themes of Haycraft’s wealth. The orchestral sound is dynamic and catchy. Though lyrically clever, the libretto sometimes feels disjointed. Some of the songs, while entertaining, seem disconnected from the narrative and do little to advance the story’s plot. 

Sam Hayes directed and designed the costumes. She elicits vivacious and enthusiastic performances from the cast of seven. The all-in exuberance is entertaining, but it also results in the vocals getting away from the actors during the musical numbers. The zestful vocal delivery, particularly when belting parts of the score, overwhelms the sound system and the audience. The belting is almost always screechy and screamy instead of a controlled combination of head and chest voice that produces emotionally relevant tone. 

Dramatically, the ensemble is strong. Kimmie Kidd (Madam), Dustin Petrillo (The Benefactor), and Rachel Bailey (Calista) are standouts. Kidd carries herself with the regal elegance her wealth affords her. Petrillo is a greasy and smarmy villainous caricature. He’s a smooth talking, threatening bad guy, who tosses his money about expecting it will buy him privilege. He is abusive and demanding, mean and conniving. Bailey’s sexually charged portrayal is courageous, revealing, roguish, and risqué. She plays the mother hen as most experienced woman in the brothel. She and Petrillo are fearless together in several boldly daring sexually overt scenes. 

Cady Bailey’s suggestive choreography is executed with energetic flair by Adreienne Spann (Billie), Lillian Cooper (Tennie), and Avery Lux (Ripley.) There is no doubt that Lux is a trained dancer. Her shapes and precision are noteworthy. Spann is gruff as the edgy Billie, and Cooper and Lux add some levity with their bickering and jabs they take at each other.  

Jade Cash (Mercy Jones) plays a scheming and cunning actor. She has a plan to swindle, but her good heart derails her scheme. Her Mercy is the right mix of feigned naiveté and kind con artist. 

Healy and Bradley Rolf have completely transformed the performance space in the Greenfinch. The set, painted exquisitely by Katie Orr, is far more elaborate than any other set that has been built in that space previously. Rolf’s lighting design effectively allows for on-the-fly scene changes. Hayes’ costumes are striking, especially her creations for Kidd’s Madam Eliza. 

Madam is a fictional story based on a real-life 19th century entrepreneur and real-estate investor. The adult-themed book’s shrewd protagonist, devilish villains, and supporting characters tell a story of the seedier side of old St. Louis. There is opportunity to revisit the song lyrics to increase their story telling value, and the vocal arrangements to pull back on the high belting that posed significant problems for the actors vocally. 

Colin Healy’s original musical Madam continues at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar though August 10, 2025. Click the link below to purchase tickets.