"Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks..." That old playground singsong, however gory, would seem to have lost its power to send a chill up adult spines; we've since seen a lot worse in recent decades. It was, in fact, the O.J. Simpson trial that inspired writer-composer Christopher McGovern to examine another "crime of the century" -- the 19 century, that is.

After two full-scale productions at the American Stage Company in New Jersey in 1998 and Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut in 2001, Lizzie Borden has resurfaced at the Stoneham Theatre north of Boston, where it is enjoying optimal treatment. You could pluck this show up in its entirety, airlift it to Broadway, and[...]