THE BLOODY DEED OF 1857 Returns To Colonnade Row For Limited Fall Run

After a sold-out workshop run in March, Paranormal History Productions returns to Colonnade Row with an official limited run of The Bloody Deed of 1857 for the autumn season. The immersive 90 minute play is an adaptation of news accounts which reported the breathless daily developments about a sensational murder that took place on nearby Bond Street. Elise Gainer, author of Ghosts and Murders of Manhattan, credits the nearby Merchant's House Museum with the idea to turn this true-life murder into a play. The work was selected as the featured piece in the Tectonic Theatre Project's Advanced Moment Work Master Class with Moisés Kaufman in May 2017. Ken Davenport, the veteran Broadway producer, consulted on this unique immersive experience including script and overall project development.

The Bloody Deed of 1857 is based on the actual murder of Dr. Harvey Burdell on January 30, 1857. The scandalous crime captivated the city, filling the columns of every newspaper for months because all evidence pointed at his rejected lover, a devoted mother and conniving widow named Emma Cunningham. But the jury didn't believe a woman could commit such a violent act. Officially, the case remains unsolved, leaving restless ghosts behind to sort through the truth for eternity.

The show begins at Astor Place where guests will learn a brief history about the neighborhood at that time. They will then be led to an ornate secret parlor where the spirits of those connected to the crime now reside in limbo. Minnie Seymour and Charlotte Worthington will conjure the trapped souls so that their story can be heard by the living in order for their souls to rest.

The cast includes Philip O'Gorman, Elise Gainer, Connor Scott, Flynn Colburn, Brian Kelly, Lindsay Zelli, Hannah Roze, Alexandra Gellner, Betty McCall and Matt Corry.

Previews begin August 24th with an opening on September 14th. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM. Tickets are $99 and $120 (includes an hour tour of the neighborhood's ghostly sites including a visit to the murder location OR a voucher good for a Ghosts, Murder & Mayhem Walking Tour). Only 28 seats per performance. Tickets at bloodydeed1857.com Save 50% by using code: PREVIEW for shows on August 24th, 25th, 31st September 1st, 8th & 9th. There is one flight of stairs and there will be no late seating.

Built in 1832, this historic row of landmarked townhouses were the first conspicuously extravagant homes in New York pre-Civil War. Inspired by palatial row houses in London and Paris as well as classic Greek architecture, the homes quickly sold out to New York's most elite families. Astors, Delanos, Roosevelts, & Gardiners lived here as well as Washington Irving and other writers. The salon now presents historic lectures and is used as a development space for a variety of creative projects, both artistic & commercial. Special events also happen regularly and are announced on Instagram and Facebook @colonnaderow