One day before and one city block away from the gala opening of the New York branch of the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum comes a staged reading of Tussaud!, a new musical with book, music, and lyrics by Joan Cushing. The show strips away the sideshow reputation of Madame Tussaud to put a face on the woman at the center of one of the most turbulent periods in French history. Having grown up in the household of Philippe Curtius, whose Wax Salon became a hotbed of revolutionary activity, she knew all of the major players, giving her a unique window on events that would shape modern Europe. Brought to life by a Carnival Barker who serves as a narrator, the waxen figures from the very first Tussaud exhibition tell the story of Marie Grosholtsz, who later would become known as the world famous Madame Tussaud.