Lizzie, The Musical

By Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt 

Directed & Choreographed by Ilyse Robbins 

Main Stage Theater 144 

Sep 22 - Nov 5, 2023 

Buy Tickets

Purchase Subscription Packages

The subject of centuries-old, sing-song villainy, Lizzie Borden turns searing rock anthem anti-hero and has audiences raging in their seats.

Lizzie was famously acquitted and yet the question lingers… did she do it? Now, as the story is retold by four women defying musical theater stereotypes, fronting a six-piece rock band, and delivering a score that epitomizes riot grrrl power, Lizzie finally gets her say. Nominated for three Drama Desk awards and named best musical eight times over in regional awards around the country and the world, this musical is totally whack (in a good way)!

"Presented with wall-rattling glee…deliciously watchable!" - The New York Times

“Take a pure American gothic tale that grabbed the headlines in a small New England town in 1892 and quickly went on to become a cause celebre across the nation. Set it to a volcanic, quasi-operatic punk rock beat that captures the sense of female rage, retribution and betrayal, and feels custom-made for the current climate. And then just let it roar.” - Chicago Sun Times

Content Warning: This production uses strobe lighting effects, haze and contains adult themes, recommended for teens and adults. For more information, please see the Digital Program.

About The Director

Ilyse Robbins is an award-winning Director and Choreographer whose recent projects include Assassins (Lyric Stage), Tell Me on a Sunday and Cabaret (Peterborough Players); Beehive and Little Women (GBSC); Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Front Porch, Nora @ CST, GBSC: Elliot Norton Award-Outstanding Musical Production). Ilyse directed/choreographed All is Calm at GBSC (Elliot Norton Award - Outstanding Musical Production). Her original choreography for the World Premiere of Swan Lake in Blue: A Jazz Ballet at GBSC won the Elliot Norton Award-Outstanding Choreography and she directed the award-winning Move on the Cha-Chas at United Solo Festival NYC. Ilyse is a teacher, coach, and writer. She holds a BS in Communication/Theater from Northwestern, theater certification from BADA and an Ed.M. from Harvard. Upcoming projects: Rocky Horror (Central Square), Mr. Popper’s Penguins (WFT). Ilyse is a proud Member of SDC. www.ilyserobbins.com 

Of Interest

• "Take 5" with Director and Choreographer Ilyse Robbins
  What to love about the music, what you might not expect, and...do ghosts exist?
• 9 Things You May Not Know About Lizzie Borden
  Explore nine fascinating facts about Lizzie Borden, who may or may not have taken an ax and given her parents lethal whacks in August 1892.
• The enduring fascination with accused ax murderer Lizzie Borden
  The case of Lizzie Borden, accused of brutally murdering her father and step-mother with an ax, has remained a source of fascination for more than 125 years. A new book examines the trial of Lizzie Borden, the historical context of this brutal crime, and how it continues to be reimagined. Megan Thompson recently spoke with Cara Robertson, the author of "The Trial of Lizzie Borden."