MURDER BALLAD Begins Tonight at Union Square Theatre

MURDER BALLAD, the critically acclaimed new musical which has been nominated for Best Musical by the Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Lortel Awards, begins previews tonight, May 7 at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17^th Street). The limited engagement will open Wednesday, May 22 featuring John Ellison Conlee, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Caissie Levy, and Will Swenson.

MURDER BALLAD is conceived by Jonathan Larson Award winner and two-time Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Julia Jordan with book and lyrics by Jordan and music and lyrics by indie rock singer/songwriter Juliana Nash. Drama Desk Award nominee Trip Cullman (Paul Weitz'sLonely, I'm Not; Adam Bock's A Small Fire) directs.

A love triangle gone wrong, Murder Ballad centers on Sara, an Upper West Sider who seems to have it all, but whose downtown past lingers enticingly and dangerously in front of her. This sexy, explosive new musical explores the complications of love, the compromises we make, and the betrayals that can ultimately undo us.

A theatrical experience not to be missed, the Union Square Theatre has been completely redesigned to accommodate the immersive staging forMURDER BALLAD. Tickets holders are invited into the theatre 30 minutes before show time to tour the set, mingle, and "grab a beer, get a table, and make like you're at a rock concert," (Time Out New York).

The creative team for Murder Ballad includes: Mark Wendland (scenic design), Jessica Pabst (costume design), Ben Stanton (lighting design), Leon Rothenberg (sound design), Doug Varone (choreography), and Justin Levine (music director, vocal arranger and orchestrator).

MURDER BALLAD is produced at the Union Square Theatre by Manhattan Theatre Club Productions, Inc.; Niclas Nagler; Richard Frankel;Tom Viertel; Steven Baruch; Marc Routh; Simone Genatt Haft; Susanne Adamski; and Scott M. Delman.