LIZZIE: THE MUSICAL Opens Thinking Cap Theatre's 2017-2018 Season, 10/20

On a sweltering summer morning in 1892, in Fall River Massachusetts, a prominent business man and his wife were brutally axed to death in their home. Their daughter, Lizzie Borden, was the prime suspect. Lizzie's trial was a coast-to-coast media sensation, and her story has become an integral part of American criminal mythology. Lizzie: The Musical - the vibrant, rollicking, rock musical telling of this legendary crime will open Thinking Cap Theatre at the Vanguard's 2017-2018 season on October 20th. The production will run through November 4th.

Lizzie: The Musical started out as a four-song theater/rock concert piece written by Tim Maner with songs by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, and later expanded into a full musical with more music and orchestrations by newly added collaborator Alan Stevens Hewitt. It sprang from Maner and Cheslik-DeMeyer's love of musicals, Americana, women-rockers, and late 80s queer politics.

Although the show's music is primarily raucous, rock, and of the 'Riot Girl' genre, the play also offers a sensitive look at what could drive someone to (allegedly) commit such a heinous crime (Borden was acquitted of the murders after an all-male jury deliberated for just ninety minutes). It allows audiences to relate to the Borden sisters - Lizzie and Emma - in a way they might not have considered before. This emotional connection wouldn't be possible without the four incredible performers that make up the cast - Ann Marie Olson as Lizzie Borden, Sabrina Gore as Emma Borden, Leah Sessa as Alice Russell, and Hanna Richter as Bridget Sullivan.

Lizzie: The Musical will be directed by Thinking Cap's Nicole Stodard; the production's musical direction is by Patrick Watkins.

Tickets for Lizzie are $40 ($20 for students with ID) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 954-610-7263 or on line at http://www.thinkingcaptheatre.com .

The Vanguard Sanctuary for the Arts is located at 1501 S. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, 33301. There is free street parking surrounding the building and a metered municipal lot just south of The Vanguard on Andrews Ave.