Musical About Lizzie Borden Makes An Impact On The Wellington Waterfront This August: Lizzie The Musical

PŌNEKE, WELLINGTON, NZ

Hot off the heels of a 2023/24 UK Tour and a 2022 Sydney Arts Festival season, cult-hit modern musical Lizzie swings into Circa Theatre with a new thrilling production led by WITCH Music Theatre, opening this August 10 and playing till September 7 on the Wellington Waterfront. Smashing convention at Circa Theatre, Lizzie the Musical also marks the hotly-anticipated return of international musical theatre to the main stage in over nine years.

WINNER of 8 ‘Best Musical’ awards and described as having “one of the best rock scores this side of Jesus Christ Superstar” by The Stage UK, Lizzie the Musical is the queer, punk-rock musical reimagining of the gripping true-crime case of acquitted murder suspect Lizzie Borden. The musical explores the heady and heated events leading up to the infamous trial that made her a media sensation over 100 years ago.

Fans of modern musicals like SIX, Heathers, and Spring Awakening are expected to be amongst the first in line to see this musical’s professional debut in Wellington, New Zealand. With its ‘live in concert’ format, high-octane performances, and a mischievous cheek, Lizzie the Musical offers a modern theatre-going experience for audiences eager to be immersed in an event closer to a rock concert than a standard play. Similarly, with a rise in mainstream popularity of openly queer female pop stars like Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Renee Rapp, Lizzie the Musical's queer plot and female rock influence over the action-packed, 90-minute score make this a musical perfectly pitched for young and young-at-heart audiences.

Featuring a powerhouse cast of four of New Zealand’s most exciting young musical theatre artists, Lizzie is led by Wahine Maōri artists Bailea Twomey and Jane Leonard in the sister roles of Lizzie and Emma Borden. Both actors share a stage connection, having both performed the roles of ‘Elphaba’ in WICKED and ‘Gloria’ in Madagascar the Musical over the Motu. Leonard has also collected an impressive string of credits across the country with leading roles at The Court Theatre in musicals such as RENT, Little Shop of Horrors and Legally Blonde the Musical. They are joined by newcomer Rachel McSweeney, playing the role of Alice Russell, their next-door neighbour, and Aimée Sullivan, who was previously seen in G&T Production’s Kinky Boots, taking on the role of Bridget ‘Maggie’ Sullivan, the maid.

Suspenseful, queer, and rebellious, Lizzie the Musical is laced with political depth and a killer sense of humour that’ll have fans of musical theatre and true-crime podcasts equally on the edge of their seats. Wellingtonians with pent-up rage for recent public sector job cuts, changing governments, or looking to curb the winter blues, can look forward to an empowering, kick-ass night out at the theatre with Lizzie.

Lizzie the Musical

opens August 10 and runs until September 7, 2024, at Circa Theatre, 1 Taranaki Street on the Wellington Waterfront. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at circa.co.nz, over the phone at 04 801 7992, or in person at the Circa Theatre box office.

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