A Completely Different Kind of Musical
By Skip Sheffield
And now for a completely different kind of musical we submit
“Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story,” continuing through June 8 at Mizner
Park Cultural Arts Center.
Outre Theatre Company is not one to shy away from
controversial topics. Not only is “Thrill Me” a gay romance between two men,
those men are convicted murderers.
Composer-lyricist-playwright Stephen Dolginoff was inspired
by the real-life scandalous case of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, otherwise
known simply as Leopold and Loeb.
Leopold and Loeb were two smart guys (Leopold had a genius
IQ) from suburban Chicago in the year 1924. Both men were in college studying
law, but apparently that was not stimulating enough. Loeb had been reading the German
philosopher Nietzsche who advanced the theory of a “superman” who was somehow
above mortal law. To test his theory Loeb enlisted Leopold to embark on a wave
of petty crimes, each one larger than the next. After torching a warehouse Loeb
urged Leopold to help him commit the “perfect crime:” the murder of a randomly
chosen boy.
The unfortunate boy was named Bobby Franks, 14. He was a
good kid from a well-off family. Leopold and Loeb lured him into a car and
drove off to a remote area by a lake where they brutally murdered and mutilated
the boy.
Normally in a musical you have characters you can identify
and sympathize with. Not so in this work, first mounted in 2003 and directed by
Skye Whitcomb for this revival. Instead we are shocked and appalled.
There is an underlying gay romance, presented in the lyrics
of the songs, with titles such as “Everybody Wants Richard,” “Thrill Me” and
“Way Too Far.”
Nathan Leopold is sung by Michael Westrich and Richard Leob
is sung by Conor Walton. Musical director Kristen Long provides the solo piano
accompaniment. Both men are good singers who convincingly convey the obsessive
relationship of the dominant Leob and more submissive Leopold. The only song
that really stuck in my mind was the finale, “Life Plus 99 Years,” which was
the sentence of both men after their lives were spared by the sheer eloquence
of their famous lawyer, Clarence Darrow.
If there is anything to be taken away from this show, it is
the fact that when a person considers himself Godlike, really bad things can
happen. Just look at the recent massacre in Santa Barbara.
Call 954-300-2149 or visit www.outretheatrecompany.com for
tickets.
No comments:
Post a Comment