LIZZIE Comes to TheaterWorks Hartford in September

TheaterWorks Hartford has revealed details for its all-female musical Lizzie by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt. Directed by Lainie Sakakura and with music direction by Erika R. Gamez, Lizzie uses a searing rock score to explore the historical record of Lizzie Borden, the 19th century ax murderer whose controversial acquittal continues to fascinate the public. Similar in spirit to the Broadway hit Six, this contemporary musical, running September 29–October 22, is a rock concert re-telling of a mind-bending American myth.

Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero commented, “Coming from Massachusetts, the Lizzie Borden story is a familiar part of my childhood. I’ve wanted to tell some version of it on stage for years. After seeing the Broadway tour of Six recently, I immediately thought again of Lizzie, a musical project that was brought to me years ago. And I knew, this is the Lizzie story for TheaterWorks Hartford and now is the moment to tell it.”
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The cast for Lizzie includes Kim Onah (Broadway’s & Juliet) as Alice Russell, Nora Schell (Spamilton, Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill) as Bridget Sullivan, Sydney Shepherd (Broadway’s First Date, Bandits on the Run) as Lizzie Borden, and Courtney Bassett (Broadway’s Great Comet, Titanique) as Emma Borden, all of whom are making their TheaterWorks Hartford debuts.

The creative team for Lizzie includes Brian Prather (set design), Saawan Tiwari (costume design), Rob Denton (lighting design), Megan “Deets” Culley (sound design), Ashley Rae Callahan (wig, hair, make-up design), Camilla Tassi (projection design), Paul Hardt (casting director), Rob Ruggiero (producing artistic director), Mike Lenaghan (director of production), and Tom Kosis (production stage manager).

Alongside performances of Lizzie, TheaterWorks Hartford will present a special one-night-only concert with BANDITS ON THE RUN on October 22. This musical trio includes Adrian Enscoe, Regina Strayhorn, and Sydney Shepherd, who stars as Lizzie Borden in Lizzie. Formed upon a chance encounter while busking in the subways of New York City, the Brooklyn based outfit has gone on to receive accolades from NPR Music’s All Songs Considered,American Songwriter, NPR Weekend Edition, and the Johnny Mercer SongwritersProject. Concert tickets are available here.

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