After a sold-out workshop run in March, Paranormal History Productions returns to Colonnade Row with an official limited run of The Bloody Deed of 1857 for the autumn season. The immersive 90 minute play is an adaptation of news accounts which reported the breathless daily developments about a sensational murder that took place on nearby Bond Street.

Someone murdered Dr. Harvey Burdell on January 30th, 1857 in his New York City home. The scandalous crime captivated the city, filling the columns of every newspaper for months because all evidence pointed at his rejected lover, a devoted mother and conniving widow named Emma Cunningham. But the jury didn’t believe a woman could commit such a violent act. Officially, the case remains unsolved, leaving restless ghosts behind to sort through the truth for eternity. On this night, join Minnie Seymour and Charlotte Worthington for a seance in the nearby Colonnade Row where they will attempt to finally solve this mystery so the trapped souls might rest.

The show begins at Astor Place where guests will then be led to an ornate secret parlor where the spirits of those connected to the crime now reside in limbo. Minnie Seymour and Charlotte Worthington will conjure the trapped souls so that their story can be heard by the living in order for their souls to rest.

Previews begin August 24th with an opening on September 14th. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM. Tickets are $99 and $120 (includes an hour tour of the neighborhood’s ghostly sites including a visit to the murder location OR a voucher good for a Ghosts, Murder & Mayhem Walking Tour). Only 28 seats per performance. Tickets at bloodydeed1857.com Save 50% by using code: PREVIEW for shows on August 24th, 25th, 31st September 1st, 8th & 9th. There is one flight of stairs and there will be no late seating. There are only 25 seats for each performance.

Colonnade Row ~ New York’s History Salon
Built in 1832-33, this historic row of landmarked townhouses were the first conspicuously extravagant homes in New York pre-Civil War. Inspired by palatial row houses in London and Paris as well as classic Greek architecture, the homes quickly sold out to New York’s most elite families. Astors, Delanos, Roosevelts, & Gardiners lived here as well as Washington Irving and other writers. The salon now presents historic lectures and is used as a development space for a variety of creative projects, both artistic & commercial. Special events also happen regularly and can be seen on Instagram and Facebook @colonnaderow

Photos: JJ Ignotz