Lydia Trueblood: The Black Widow of the Atlantic Coast

Liz Eldridge is spectacular as Lydia, with amazing support from Clara Dykstra and Bryan Bertone. Eldridge definitely lived up to the hype of "the female Aaron Lyons" with her out-of-this-world voice and acting abilities. She told the story as if she had personally lived it, and her interactions with the audience made us feel like we were part of it. Check out the rest of the review at Examiner.com.... full review

Originally Posted in Bitter Lemons: Fringe Femmes | "Lydia Trueblood: The Black Widow of the Atlantic Coast" by Liz Eldridge & Efrain Schunior| Sometimes you just luck into things, and the charming musical confession of Lydia Trueblood has got to be on the top of my #HFF14 happy accident list. Who knew walking into a bar would mean a 19th century tale of murderous exploits and romantic adventures, complete with an adorable singing, accordion- and trumpet- (simultaneously, mind you) playing mute? The dark and stormy storyline here (co-written by Liz Eldridge and Efrain Schunior) is a clever excuse to string together knock-out tunes, written and performed by Eldridge as Lydia, a femme fatale with a knack for finding fortunes among the d... full review

The instant Liz Eldridge as the murderess Lydia Trueblood steps on stage she has us in the palm of her hand. This musical romp inspired by the real life husband murdering Trueblood is not just an engaging story but the music and musical talent of Eldridge is phenomenal. Musical accompaniment by Clara Dykstra (both accordion and trumpet) is cleverly added to the show by creating the character of Trueblood’s daughter Annabelle (she’s a mute who sings and swears) – which allows for the terrific musical and comedic duo to flourish. Dykstra wows with her musical talent but also charms with her adorably sweet face and dimples. This show is simply devilishly fun entertainment. Director and co-writer Efrain Schunior keeps the pace ebbing and f... full review

The attraction to this show is definitely the music. Liz Eldridge has a gorgeous voice and the multitude of instruments that both she and Clara Dykstra play is truly impressive. Watching Dykstra play the accordion and the trumpet AT THE SAME TIME is mind boggling. However, the story and performance in between the songs needs some work. It felt long even though the running time was less than an hour.... full review