Making A Murderer: The Musical is created by Phil Meaney, and tells the heart-wrenching story of the Avery family and the injustice they suffered at the hands of the American legal system. Beginning with a cheery song touring us around Manitowoc County, this bright eyed and determined cast takes us on an emotional journey as the details of the case unfurl.
A quirky, fun-loving yet heartbreaking watch
The songs are catchy and engaging, using beautiful harmonies and resonating melodies. The cast members sing with excellent clarity and diction. This does not take away from the emotional qualities of the numbers, however, as the actors suffuse their notes with anguish, joy and love. I particularly enjoyed the Cleaner, Brighter, Stronger number, which has an infectious tune and great humour whilst helping the audience to understand the Averys’ story. One does not have to have watched the Netflix documentary to understand the plot; the writing makes the key details clear, and the characterisation.
Some numbers lack the direction necessary to make them stand out, such as Ken Kratz’s talk-show host style song; this is missing the dynamism needed to support the theme it is attempting to portray. This could be easily remedied with a larger chorus and enhanced choreography for the lead singer. Dean Makowski-Clayton, playing Brendan Dassey, shines with star-quality. His vocal range is impressive whilst maintaining clarity; his acting matches this engaging quality, portraying Dassey’s tragic story with such passion as to have us feeling affronted at his wrongful accusation.
The production balances comedy and tragedy skilfully, providing cathartic, humorous breaks from the dark subject-matter of Stephen’s story. This keeps us entertained and focused, as no emotion is dragged out til exhaustion. With such a disheartening story as their plot-line , this range of tone and emotion is achieved against the odds. The general energy of the cast is astounding, and makes this production special.
Raising money for a good cause, Making a Murderer: the Musical is a quirky, fun-loving yet heartbreaking watch which one will not forget quickly.
