Thrill Me... Or At Least Wake Me Up

As a frequent playgoer I tend to give a little leeway for shows, especially musicals, that try something different. A few clunky moments are usually forgivable and forgettable when the creators are taking some risks. But there are limits. Although composer/lyricist/bookwriter Stephen Dolginoff is certainly to be commended for attempting a musical based on the infamous crimes of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, and the York Theatre Company earns extra points for taking a chance on such a dark piece by an unknown writer, the resulting drama, despite a fine production, barely inspires a twitter, much less a thrill.

Defendants in what was known in 1924 as The Trial of the Century (at least until the next one rolled around) Leopold and Loeb were a couple of kids from well-to-do Chicago families. Eighteen year old Richard Loeb (Doug Kreeger) was obsessed with the writings of Fredrich Nietzsche and his concept of a "superman" who was above society's morals. Nineteen year old Nathan Leopold (Matt Bauer) was obsessed with Richard Loeb and signed a blood contract to help him commit crimes, for the thrill of it, in exchange for sex. Loeb's quest to commit the perfect crime lead to their arrest in the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen year old boy. Their lawyer, the legendary Clarence Darrow, convinced them to plead guilty in an attempt to lessen the likelihood of being sentenced to hang. At their sentencing hearing, Darrow delivered a twelve hour long summation, speaking eloquently of human nature, genetics, sexual urges and the cruelty of the death penalty, convincing the judge to grant the defendants life in prison.

Dolginoff tells the story in flashback, beginning 34 years later when Leopold is up for parole from his imprisonment at Joliet. (Stephen Bogardus and John McMartin supply the recorded voices of the parole board and director Michael Rupert is heard as a radio newscaster.) In pleading his case to be released it's assumed we're getting the prisoner's version of the facts, or at least the way he would explain it in his defense. Although the 2-man musical is well structured with appropriate song placement, Dolginoff's text is so plot focused that it rarely attempts to flesh out the characters. We don't need to like the boys, but there has to be something human and empathetic about the protagonists to hold an audience's interest for an intermission-less ninety minutes. The music, played by a single pianist (music director Eugene Gwozdz), is redundantly dramatic with every song ending on a fade that doesn't allow for applause. There seems to be a creative choice not to include anything the least bit funny or joyous in the evening. This lack of texture nullifies any chance for emotional connection, especially when character development seems limited to declarative lyrics like "I'm overcome" and "I'm still in shock." Rupert's rather stiff staging does nothing to squeeze out any of the intended erotic juice from the story.

Bauer and Kreeger certainly look period in Jennifer Paar's costumes. Both sing well and do what they can with the cardboard characters they're assigned. James Morgan's versatile unit set begins as a prison hearing room but, matched with Thom Weaver's lights, seamlessly presents a multitude of locations. Weaver's work also provides a bit of the moody eroticism and heat not supplied elsewhere.

It's a shame when an adventurous attempt such as Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story supplies little to recommend, since audiences are generally wary of serious musical theatre to begin with. There is certainly an interesting story in Leopold and Loeb, but this telling doesn't dig deep enough to find what is truly worth singing about.