Knives and hatchets collide in two live shows

FALL RIVER — Where hatchets meet chef knives could happen in no place other than Fall River.

Two ticketed shows — one that will focus on Lizzie Borden, the city’s most infamous woman, and the second, an homage to beloved French chef Julia Child — are coming to ArtWeek, a first-time collaboration between the home-grown Creative Arts Network and Boston’s ArtWeek.

In both shows, the audience will “meet” the leading ladies, played by Lynne Moulton of Delvena Theatre Company, and learn about their lives.

“Lizzie Borden and the 40 Whacks,” will be staged at the Abbey Grill, 100 Rock St., on Sunday, April 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $25.

“Meet Julia Child,” is set for the Eagle Event Center, 25 N. Main St., on Saturday, May 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost is $20.

Fran Baron, a Delvena Theatre writer and organizer, said Moulton will “become” Child and Borden in her performances.

In “Meet Julia Child,” a favorite performance by Delvena, Julia and her assistant get ready for a French chef training program.

“You get to find out what her life was like … which was fascinating,” Baron said. “It’s informative and funny.”

Attendees will sneak a glimpse into Child’s life, known internationally as “The French Chef.” The performance will touch on her life in California and her journey to becoming a French cooking authority, legendary chef, and television personality.

French-themed refreshments will be served.

Baron said so many people love Julia because she was just a “regular” person. “She was just very approachable, down to earth, very pleasant.”

Julia is credited with changing the way people cook, and being the first TV chef personality.

“She’s fabulous,” Baron said.

“In Lizzie Borden and the 40 Whacks,” Baron said: “The audience will get an understanding of what went on that day.”

Baron, of course, is speaking of the unsolved hatchet murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in their Second Street home in 1892. Their adult daughter Lizzie was a suspect in the homicide and stood trial. She was acquitted of the crimes in 1893.

Part of the show will focus on the case, and it’s up to the audience to decide on Borden’s guilt or innocence with their vote.

“The audience becomes the jury,” Baron said. “It gets to be improv. It’s very entertaining.”

The Abbey Grill location for the show is fitting, since it was once the Central Congregational Church, where Lizzie Borden attended Mass.

For more Lizzie Borden, the Whaling City Ghosts will conduct a free lantern-making and mini-ghost tour on Friday, May 4, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., starting at the former Trio Restaurant, 201 S. Main St.

Participants will make a lantern and listen to a half-hour presentation. A short walking tour will take “ghost hunters” down Second Street, and will highlight Victorian murders, including the Borden double homicide, the death of a young woman at the hands of a local minister, and a mother who murdered her two children near the Borden property. There will also be a history of the famous skeleton in armor.

The Creative Arts Network is holding five events during ArtWeek, April 27 to May 6, and several other businesses, schools and organizations are offering events, related to the arts, history, wellness and entertainment.

To learn more about ArtWeek events and to purchase tickets to “Meet Julia Child” and “Lizzie Borden and the 40 Whacks,” visit the Creative Arts Network’s event page at http://creativeartsnetwork.org/events/ or call 508-294-5344.

To learn more about Delvena Theatre and check out other upcoming shows-to-go, visit http://www.delvenatheatre.org/

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com