Category Archives: Lizzie Borden & the Arts

Get your Tickets Now !

29 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", August 4th, Borden Family, Fall River, Famous Massachusetts Cases, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Murder Most Foul, On stage, Potpourri, Theories, Things to Do, True Crime, Victoriana, Violent Victorians

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 As posted yesterday, Miss Lizzie is coming home for two performances August 5th and 6th at the Nagle Auditorium at B.M.C. Durfee High School in a production by the Covey Theatre Company of Syracuse, N.Y., according to the Fall River Herald News http://www.heraldnews.com/entertainment/x2108626470/Latest-Lizzie-Borden-play-to-be-staged-Aug-5-6-in-Fall-River

For reviews of the play and some color stills, visit this link http://www.thecoveytheatrecompany.com/production-archives.html

Tickets may be purchased online at the link and word is out that this new treatment of the case promises to satisfy the most ardent Bordenite.  Snag a ticket early!

She’s Back for August!

28 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", August 4th, Borden Family, Borden House Interiors, Borden Spaces and Places, Fall River, Fall River Historical Society, Famous Massachusetts Cases, Famous Victorians, In the News, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, On stage, Pear Essential Players, Potpourri, Second Street Happenings, Things to Do

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In addition to anticipating the upcoming release of the historical society’s Parallel Lives, August will welcome a new play about the famous case.  The Herald News reports:

A new play, “Lizzie Borden Took an Axe,” depicting the well known Lizzie Borden case will be staged in Fall River for the 119th anniversary of the hatchet murders of Andrew and Abby Borden.

There will be two performances on Aug. 5 and 6 at the Nagle Auditorium at B.M.C. Durfee High School by the Covey Theatre Company of Syracuse, N.Y.
Fresh from winning two Syracuse Area Live Theatre awards for Best Original Play and Best Costumes, as well as the Gloria Peter Playwright competition from Aurora, NY, “Lizzie Borden Took an Axe” left critics enthralled and Bordenophiles raving.

“Lizzie Borden Took an Axe” will be staged Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 315-420-3729 or online at”  www.thecoveytheatrecompany.com.

Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x2108614302/-Lizzie-Borden-Took-an-Axe-to-be-staged-at-Durfee-High-School#ixzz1QatgYTzn 

The annual costumed recreation of August 4th will take place as usual at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast on the 4th, which this year, will be a Thursday, just as it was in 1892.

Plenty of Lizzie on the way for August!

It’s Official- HBO Mini-Series Greenlighted

14 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by in "Lizbits", Legend of Lizzie Borden, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, On Screen, Potpourri, Read All ABout It, Stop the Press

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Chloe Sevigny is Lizzie Borden
Chloe Sevigny is Lizzie Borden

“Big Love is set to air its series’ finale next Sunday, and some of the cast is not waiting around to find their next projects. Ginnifer Goodwin is already signed for the ABC fantasy series Once Upon a Time, and now Chloë Sevigny has joined the cast of HBO’s upcoming four-hour miniseries on Lizzie Borden. Sevigny, who has been the driving force behind the project, is set to star as Borden as well as co-executive produce.

Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce through their joint company Playtone, which also produces Big Love. The story will follow Lizzie Borden’s trial, from which she was acquitted of killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet. Chloë Sevigny will star as Lizzie Borden, as well as co-executive produce.

Bryce Kass is writing the screenplay. The miniseries will likely air in 2012. “

Sources: Deadline

Lizzie Borden Cupcakes are a winner

16 Thursday Dec 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Halloween Lizzie Borden, Hatchets and Axes, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Potpourri, Read All ABout It

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  Cupcakes have been a trendy foodie item recently.  After the TV success of shows such as Cake Boss, Ace of Cakes, and now Cupcake Wars, it was only a matter of time before Lizzie made it to the cupcake competition.  Iron Cupcake, an organization which celebrates the miniature morsels and hosts themed cupcake bake-off contests, has cupcake affiliate chapters all over.  In October of this year, the Toronto branch had a Halloween competition. The entries were creative and tasty, and the competition was fierce,but in the end it was the Lizzie Borden display which won. The photo of the winning display below is from the “Cake Bites” web blog of Gabriella Caruso who was a competitor in the Halloween challenge. http://cakebitess.blogspot.com/2010/10/iron-cupcake-toronto-halloween.html

The white chocolate hatchet is spectacular and the cupcake shown on the ribbon and lace bedecked round platter in the background has a small skull on the top.  Monica Law was the creator.

For more on the competition, read an article about the contestants and entries at the link below.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/11/27/bake-off-brawling-at-the-iron-cupcake-competition/

Channeling Lizzie onstage

08 Wednesday Dec 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Just Plain Lizzie, Legend of Lizzie Borden, Lizzie Borden & the Arts

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Gillian Murphy as Lizzie Borden in Fall River Legend

Gillian Murphy a principal dancer in the New York’s American Ballet Theatre, previewed the upcoming controversial film, The Black Swan and compares approaching such a terrifying role undertaken by Natalie Portman to her take on channeling Lizzie Borden.

“ I once played the character of Lizzie Borden in “Fall River Legend.” That was fairly intense because you have to embrace the role onstage and experience what that character is about — very repressed and angry. But does that mean I was a nightmare to live with? Absolutely not — Ethan [Stiefel, her boyfriend ] would not have lived with me if that was the case.”

Lizzie’s Hatchet is one artist’s inspiration

22 Friday Oct 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Hatchets and Axes, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Murder Most Foul, Potpourri, Strange Lizzies

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River’s Edge Library in North Jersey is the venue for a unique art exhibit running through the end of the month.  Works by the artist are inspired primarily by fictional things such as the Mad Hatter’s teacup, arranged as an artistic “artifact” to give a feeling of reality to a literary character.  Lizzie’s hatchet is one of the two items which draws upon reality for its inspiration.

‘”Arcanifacts” is a collection of 21 works taken from a larger project River Edge resident Scot Ryersson began in 2007. Ryersson said he invented the term from the Latin words arcanus (secret) and factum (thing made) to describe an artifact containing both mystery and truth.”

For more about the exhibit visit http://www.northjersey.com/news/105409913_Exhibit_inspired_by_fictional_characters.html

No, the statue above is not Lizzie Borden- but she is to be found in Massachusetts- in the town of Haverhill at GAR Park.  Her name is Hannah Duston and her fame commenced in 1697 after an incident with a local Native American tribe.  Hannah’s statue is said to be the first erected to a woman in America.  For more about this grisly and bloody true story, visit this very informative and entertaining New England folklore blog.

http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2010/04/hannah-duston-heroine-of-haverhill-part.html

Lizzie Borden Rides Again

24 Friday Sep 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", August 4th, Borden Family, Case Personalities, Just Plain Lizzie, Lectures & Exhibits, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, On stage, Theories, True Crime, Victorian True Crime

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Chances are you have not heard of the Garst Museum in Greenville, Ohio unless you are a fan of  Greenville- born world traveller and TV star Lowell Thomas whose adventures enthralled millions on radio and later television.  Or perhaps sharpshooter Annie Oakley, about whom the Garst has produced a world-class exhibit about her life. 

As part of their autumn lecture series, another famous lady will be featured as subject of a one-woman show as Christy Igo takes on Lizzie Borden- no sharp-shooting pistol, but a hatchet just as deadly.

(photo of Ms. Igo from http://www.lizzieborden.info/_wsn/page2.html)

“Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 2:00 p.m., Christy Igo’s program “Lizzie Borden: A Life” is coming to the Garst. It is full of laughter, mystery, and horror as she brings  Lizzie Borden to life to tell HER STORY of the murder of her beloved  father and step mother. This crime is one of the bloodiest, most notorious and mysterious crimes of the 19th century!
In 1892 Lizzie Borden was found NOT guilty by a jury of her peers. Most of the towns folk of Falls River, Massachusetts DISAGREED. The trial received worldwide media attention. Lizzie became a celebrity. The gruesome details played out in the daily newspapers.

Did she or didn’t she? Modern law students still argue the case. You be the judge.
Christy Igo trained at Ohio University’s Professional Actor Training Program as well as at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She has worked professionally all over the North Eastern United States.  She has worked in film, commercials and documentaries. She formed HerStory productions in 1999 to produce and perform original one woman shows about inspirational women from history.

The Garst Lecture Series are free to the public, thanks to a grant from the HOPE Foundation and the Harry D. Stephens Memorial Trust. This lecture may be more suitable for mature audiences. For more information please call 937-548-5250 or online at www.garstmuseum.org.”

Lizzie Borden The Rock Musical

23 Thursday Sep 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Case Personalities, Famous Massachusetts Cases, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Lizzie tunes, Murder Most Foul, On stage, Theories, Victorian True Crime, Violent Victorians

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This just in from Andy Propst via Theatermania.com for all those wondering about Lizzie Borden, the rock musical which is included as part of  new theatre projects during the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in Manhattan this fall.

The annual Festival of New Musicals will held in New York City on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22, 2010 for a select audience of NAMT members, producers and other musical theatre industry professionals

http://www.namt.org/

“Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner’s musical about murderess Lizzie Borden will feature Carrie Cimma in the title role, along with Jenny Fellner, Marie France Arcilla and Beth Malone. The piece will be staged by Victoria Bussert, with music direction by Matt Hinkley.”  The production website is at   http://lizziebordentheshow.com/index.php/axe/about/ for more.

For a sampling of some of the musical selections  http://lizziebordentheshow.com/index.php/axe/media/

“A rock roadshow retelling of the bloody legend of America’s first and favorite axe-wielding double-murderess and Victorian hometown girl
by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt.”

Most recently the show ran for six weeks in fall 2009 at the Living Theatre in New York as a full-length original rock musical, produced by Took An Axe Productions.

Lizzie Borden by Tiago Finato

13 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", Famous Victorians, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Potpourri, Read All ABout It

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Have you seen the portrait of Lizzie Borden by Tiago?  Currently, Mr. Finato is painting  a portrait of the new Fall  River Mayor.  The Lizzie portrait shows Lizzie with a slightly ominous gaze! http://fineartamerica.com/featured/lizzie-borden-tiago-finato.html

To learn more about the young Brazilian artist, read his bio here http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/tiago-finato.html?viewcomplete=true

Fall River Herald article for August 11

11 Wednesday Aug 2010

Posted by in "Lizbits", "Lizzie Folks", Borden Family, Case Personalities, Fall River, Fall River Historical Society, Just Plain Lizzie, Lectures & Exhibits, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, On stage, Read All ABout It, Second Street Happenings

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Not quite done with Lizzie and the Borden case yet?  Here is the link to an article about what is yet to see, and news of a production opening soon about- Nance O’Neil!

http://www.heraldnews.com/entertainment/x839827959/Love-Lizzie-Youll-love-August

Halloween Lizzie-Dressed to Kill?

29 Thursday Oct 2009

Posted by in 1890 fashion, Borden Spaces and Places, Fall River, Famous Massachusetts Cases, In the Marketplace, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Lizzie Borden Live, On stage, Potpourri, Strange Lizzies

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LizzieBordenFSWith the proliferation of Lizzies popping up at haunted hayrides, ghost tours and Halloween venues all over the country,  Lizzie duds are in demand for the season.  The same fashion ensemble used for the Living Dead Dolls series is now available up to a woman’s size 12 in a “dead ringer” three piece in black and scarlet, selling for $44.95.(hatchet not included).

Those leg o’ mutton sleeves are de rigeur of course, but the rest of the costume is easy to manage from your closet and tool bench, being a long skirt, boots and weapon-in-hand.  Lizzie’s frizzie bangs and tight little bun complete the look, and perhaps a slightly crazed glint in the eye.  Internet tips on Lizzie costuming urge red hair, but of course Lizzie was not a redhead- light brown hair is listed on her passport from 1890. 

Don’t forget the costume contest Saturday night at the Eagle on North Main Street, a special feature of Lizzie Borden Live ! , the award-winning play starring Jill Dalton.  First prize will be a night’s stay at the famous house on Second Street.  Strap on your corset and come on down!

After the Murders-a new Lizzie Play

21 Wednesday Oct 2009

Posted by in Borden Family, Borden Spaces and Places, Case Personalities, Fall River, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Maplecroft, On stage, Potpourri, Read All ABout It

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after the murders

(photo credit) CELIA FRANK/For Shorelines
Susan Roche (left) plays Emma Borden and Karen Garrett is Lizzie Borden in “After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden,” which will open Friday at Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre.

Lizzie’s on stage again -this time in a mystery drama by Fernandina Beach playwright Richard Wolf entitled “After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden”.

To read more about the new production which is set in the interval after the acquittal, visit this link http://jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2009-10-21/story/abet_production_goes_after_the_murders_in_lizzie_borden_case

“After the Murders: The Quest of Lizzie Borden” will be performed Friday-Sunday, Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 6-7 at the Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The theater is in the Adele Grage Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors, students and military. For reservations, call 249-7177 or visit www.abettheatre.com.

Interview with Sharon Pollack

08 Thursday Oct 2009

Posted by in Borden Spaces and Places, If Walls Could Talk, Just Plain Lizzie, Lectures & Exhibits, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Maplecroft, On stage, Potpourri

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lizzie

Blood Relations seems to be opening everywhere these days.  Lizzie B is a hot topic. To read more about this newest production and to read the interview with Sharon Pollack follow this link below.

On the issue of who Ms. Pollack thinks did the deed- http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/bladerunner/archive/2009/09/25/lizzie-borden-is-hot-stuff.aspx

“I think that Lizzie did it and Bridget (Bridget Sullivan, Lizzie’s Irish servant, who was the only other person in the Borden house when the murders took place) knew that Lizzie did it,” Pollock says, pointing out that both maid and mistress were likely in collusion when it came to their testimony at the trial.

 

Blood Relations Comes to New Bedford

02 Friday Oct 2009

Posted by in Borden Family, Fall River, If Walls Could Talk, Just Plain Lizzie, Lizzie Borden & the Arts, Maplecroft, New Bedford, On stage, Potpourri

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bloodrelationsBlood Relations written by Sharon Pollack and directed by Stephen Kay opens November 12th.  The play runs November 12-22 at the Your Theatre Playhouse at 136 River Street, New Bedford.

The play within a play structure in which, ten years after her acquittal, Lizzie Borden’s actress friend, Nance O’Neil acts out the crucial scenes, lends a fascinating sense of ambiguity to a familiar story.  For reservations call 508-993-0772.

For more about the play read http://www.enotes.com/blood-relations