A rock-and-roll musical about the infamous Lizzie Borden true crime story

"Lizzie" is on stage through July 24 at Actor's Express. (Courtesy of: Actor's Express)

There’s an old jump rope rhyme that goes, “Lizzie Borden took an axe / She gave her mother 40 whacks / After she saw what she had done / She gave her father 41.” Pretty creepy, right?

The chilling history behind that rhyme forms the backdrop for a new production at Actor’s Express Theatre Company, “Lizzie,” which explores the unsolved murders of Abby and Andrew Borden in 1892. The rock ’n roll musical is based on true events and asks the question, “Was Lizzie Borden a coldblooded killer or a victim of the Victorian patriarchy?”

“City Lights” senior producer Kim Drobes was joined by actor Jasmine Renee Ellis, who portrays Lizzie Borden, and director Jennifer Alice Acker.