TUTS Underground to Present Regional Premiere of LIZZIE, 10/10-20

TUTS Underground hacks into its freshly announced first season with the southwest regional premier of Lizzie. Promising to deliver a "killer" performance, Lizzie is a rock-show that retells the legend of America's first and favorite axe-wielding double-murderess and Victorian hometown girl, Lizzie Borden. TUTS Underground invites Houstonians to have a bloody good time at Lizzie, which runs Oct. 10 - 20 in Hobby Center's intimate 500-seat Zilkha Hall.

The production takes place in late 19th century Fall River, Massachusetts, when a young Lizzie Borden was accused of brutally killing her father and stepmother. While staying true to the well-known jump rope rhyme, "Lizzie Borden took an axe..." this musical delves deeper into Lizzie's story by explaining her older sister's similar motives, exposing Lizzie's unexpected relationship with her neighbor, and providing a cheeky punked-out maid who takes care of the two young girls in place of their seemingly careless parents. Gathering inspiration from the great rock spectacles of Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper and Kiss along with generations of women rockers like Grace Slick, Tina Turner and Heart, Lizzie uses hard rock instrumentals and strong ballad lyrics to tell the story of Lizzie's double murders using actual dialogue from the infamous trial.

In real life, Lizzie Borden and her sister were members of a wealthy and influential family in their community, although they lived in modest surroundings. Due to Lizzie's dedicated work in her local church including teaching Sunday school and her demure nature, the Fall River community was shocked to hear of her charge in the murders. Her 1893 trial became the most sensationalized legal event of its time, complete with contradictory reports from the police, a questionable sequence of events leading up to the death of her parents and mid-trial fainting spells from Lizzie. The public's fascination behind the trial also stemmed from the unimaginably ruthless nature of the crime - given the gender, background and age of the defendant - and was heightened by the jury's decision to acquit Lizzie in the face of prosecution evidence that most historians today find compelling.

Lizzie is generously sponsored by Berg & Androphy and TUTS' Leading Ladies. The TUTS Underground series is made possible through support from the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation and United Airlines.

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