Actors to Swap Roles in 'THRILL ME' for London Run

It happened in Wicked, with Louise Dearman making history as the first actress to play both starring roles - Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Now Jo Parsons is doing the same thing and swaping lead roles in the critically acclaimed, award-winning musical Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story as it returns to London, at Greenwich Theatre from Wednesday 8 April, and tours the UK for the very first time.

Thrill Me, with book, music, and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff, is based on the true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, the so-called "thrill killers" who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to commit "the perfect crime." It was the final case for crusading defence and human rights lawyer Clarence Darrow, currently being played by Kevin Spacey in an acclaimed one-man show at the Old Vic.

Jo Parsons will swap roles and now play Nathan, while Richard will be played by Ben Woods, who takes over from Danny Colligan, who recently made his West End debut in The Book of Mormon.

Told in flashbacks, beginning with a 1958 parole hearing, Thrill Me examines the relationship between Leopold and Loeb - both wealthy, normal and intelligent Chicago students, about to start training to become lawyers. We are taken on a journey of two young men, one who believed he was above the law - obsessed and fuelled by the philosophy of Nietzsche to the point he believed he was a 'Superman' beyond good and evil. The other - a loner - became a willing accomplice, empowering Loeb in his crimes. His reward - Richard's time, attention and conditional love. Together, they both believed they had perpetrated the perfect crime, or was one more certain than the other?

Danny Colligan, made his professional stage debut in the Edinburgh production, which won the first 2014 Broadway Baby "Bobby" award for outstanding productions at the Fringe, but he has since been snapped up for a coveted role in the West End hit Book of Mormon.

Director Guy Retallack said: "We knew Jo Parsons was returning again as Richard Loeb, so we were looking for a new Nathan, someone to replace Danny, but eventually having searched for weeks, although we'd found a number of very promising actors, the pairing still wasn't right," he says. "Perhaps after directing three different productions to date, I knew too much about these personalities, and was being too exacting, but the balance between these characters, their statuses, their desires is a very precise and essential mixture. The key is in the casting. The two actors have to be convincing as friends, as well as capable of a monstrous crime. As I have kept working on this compelling piece that documents a descent from petty crime to abduction and murder, I am convinced that what makes this musical so compelling is not only the taughtness with which it's constructed, but more importantly our belief and fascination in the humanity of their relationship, the more we will believe in them, and finally even care about them. When we originally cast Jo Parsons we spent some time seeing him as both Richard and Nathan, (unusually he was very adept at both) something that at that time we found to be unusual, we finally realised if Jo were to play Nathan this time, not only would this make our casting job easier, as we had a number of possible Richards, but we'd be starting afresh, and with a brand new cast, which is something I always prefer. When Ben Woods walked in to audition I knew we'd found a Richard with the necessary authority and charisma. I believe this original new departure for the show, the chemistry of Jo Parsons and Ben Woods, with a stunning live piano by Tom Turner, will bring this Faustian musical thriller to vibrant life."

After premiering at Greenwich Theatre, Wednesday 8 April - Saturday 18 April, Thrill Me will tour to The Lowry Salford, Friday 8 May & Saturday 9 May; Old Rep, Birmingham, Friday 22 May & Saturday 23 May; The Mumford Theatre, Cambridge Wednesday 3 June; Eden Court, Inverness Friday 5 June; Square Chapel, Halifax Saturday 6 June; and Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon, Sunday 7 June. More dates will be added.

Press are invited to attend a London press night on Thursday April 9 at 8.00pm

Thrill Me has been captivating audiences since 2003. This production won a prestigious 2014 Bobby Award and the show has a string of awards and nominations to its name, including a nomination for the Whatsonstage.com Best Off-West End Production and 7 Off West End Awards (Offies) nominations for Climar Productions and Guy Retallack's 2011 UK premiere.

Creative team: Director Guy Retallack, Musical Director Tom Turner, Designer James Turner, Lighting Designer & Producer Richard Williamson, Climar Productions (Producer), Greenwich Theatre Associate Producer, Casting Director Anne Vosser. It is produced by Richard Williamson and CliMar Productions in association with Greenwich Theatre.

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