Welcome to the American premiere of Bluebeard’s Castle, a musical thriller that has captivated audiences across Western and Eastern Europe.

The story you’re about to see is loosely based on an old French fairy tale well known throughout Europe. It’s not surprising that this plot is less familiar on this side of the Atlantic—by its nature, it’s one of the darkest and most violent tales in the fairy-tale genre, the kind that even Disney would struggle to make truly child-friendly.

Here’s a short summary of the original story (it may serve as a useful prelude to this play—and help you appreciate the creative leap this new version takes from the source material):

A wealthy Duke with a mysterious past, Bluebeard forbids his new wife from entering one locked room in his castle. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she visits the forbidden room, where she finds the murdered bodies of his previous wives hanging from hooks. Horrified, she drops the key, which becomes stained with blood that cannot be washed off. The key, which she cannot clean, eventually gives her away. When Bluebeard discovers her disobedience and decides to kill her, her brothers arrive just in time to rescue her and kill Bluebeard. She inherits his fortune and lives happily ever after.

This, however, is not the story you’re about to see.

— Sofia Streisand