ASHLAND — “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks …”
So goes the children’s rhyme. Did she or didn’t she?
That question remains unanswered after 130 years of rumor and speculation. Can the question be answered on Tuesday, July 12, the opening night of Ashland Chautauqua’s 2022 event?
Lizzie, portrayed by Chautauqua scholar Leslie Goddard, will no doubt proclaim her innocence and will point out that she was acquitted of the murder charges. But no other suspect was ever identified, so if not Lizzie, who did these horrible crimes?
Lizzie Borden opens the 2022 theme of “The Famous and Infamous,” five days of evening performances and daytime workshops that explore the lives and times of five characters whose names made the news one way or another.
Wednesday evening scholar Darrick Johnson will portray Malcolm X, an outspoken Black leader in the 1960s. Mary Surratt, convicted and executed for being part of the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, will protest her innocence Thursday evening, portrayed by scholar Dianne Moran.
Friday evening’s performance will feature scholar Susan Marie Frontczak as Madame Marie Curie, single-mindedly pursuing her research in radioactivity that led to two Nobel Prizes. Scholar Elsa Wolff closes the Chautauqua event with her Saturday evening performance of Ohio’s own Annie Oakley, sharpshooter celebrity of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.
On Tuesday evening, opening night, the festivities begin at the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell with the music of Mike Gorrell at 7 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. welcome and “teasers” by the characters scheduled during the week.
Then, Lizzie Borden takes the stage. How will she explain the blue dress she burned soon after the murders? If she does not mention that action, audience members can ask her about it during the Q&A after the performance.
The Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell is a comfortable outdoor venue in Ashland’s Brookside Park. It is an accessible location with adequate parking. All Ashland Chautauqua events are free and open to the public.
Ashland Chautauqua is supported by Ohio Humanities, the Ohio Arts Council, the City of Ashland’s Parks & Recreation Department, Explore Ashland, local businesses and organizations, and by residents who look forward to attending the event year after year. Special thanks to Bob and Jan Archer for their generous donation as a 2022 Character Sponsor. Ashland Main Street is the fiscal agent. Ashland Chautauqua programming is planned and implemented by a committee of local citizen volunteers.
