Overview
Synopsis
In the late summer of 1892, Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. Testimonies were muddled, evidence was incomplete, and Lizzie was acquitted. Lizzie: The Musical delves into the mysterious mind of Lizzie Borden and speculates on the motivations she may have had: loss of inheritance, history of sexual abuse, overwhelming oppression ,and madness. By her side is her older sister Emma, maid Bridget, and neighbor Alice. Together, the four women create a punk rock score to tell the story of why Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks, and why when she saw what she had done, gave her father 41. An ideal show for a theatre company with an edge and an opportunity to showcase powerful female performers, Lizzie: The Musical is a rock album of an iconic historical moment in American legend and lore.
Show Information
Characters
Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Lizzie: The Musical.
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Songs
Act One
- Forty Whacks (Prologue) - Lizzie, Alice, Emma, Bridget
- The House of Borden - Bridget, Lizzie, Emma, Alice
- This Is Not Love - Lizzie
- Gotta Get Out of Here - Lizzie
- If You Knew - Alice
- The Soul of the White Bird - Lizzie, Bridget, Alice, Emma
- Maybe Someday - Alice
- Sweet Little Sister - Emma, Lizzie
- Shattercane and Velvet Grass- Bridget, Lizzie
- Will You Stay? - Lizzie, Alice
- Why Are All These Heads Off? - Bridget, Lizzie, Alice
- Mercury Rising - Bridget, Lizzie, Emma, Alice
- Somebody Will Do Something - Bridget, Lizzie
Act Two
- The Fall of the House of Borden/”The Alibi” - Bridget
- What the F#%k Now, Lizzie? - Emma, Lizzie
- Burn the Old Thing Up - Emma, Lizzie
- Questions, Questions - Alice, Lizzie, Emma, Bridget
- Will You Lie - Alice, Lizzie
- Watchmen for the Morning - Lizzie, Emma
- Maybe Someday (Reprise 1) - Lizzie
- Thirteen Days in Taunton - Lizzie, Emma, Alice
- Maybe Someday (Reprise 2) - Emma, Lizzie
- Into Your Wildest Dreams (Epilogue) - Lizzie, Emma, Bridget, Alice
- Forty Whacks (Curtain) - Lizzie, Emma, Bridget, Alice
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Key Terms
A genre of drama based on real people’s lives, exploring their challenges, accomplishments, and inner conflicts.
A rock musical is a form of musical theatre that incorporates the rhythms, instrumentation, and energy of rock-and-roll into its score. Emerging in the late 1960s with shows like Hair, rock musicals often bring a contemporary, rebellious edge to the stage. They blend theatrical storytelling with the raw power of popular music to attract younger and more diverse audiences.
Quizzes
Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress