Their unhealthy co-dependent relationship had been growing since they were at school, but now Nathan hasn't seen Richard Loeb (Jack Reitman) for months after they went to different universities. When they're reunited Leopold quickly re-establishes their dynamic, which sees the narcissistic Loeb use and withhold his favours to control his smitten friend.
But Loeb, who gets kicks out of crime and likes having an accomplice/lookout, has decided to take their relationship to a more formal level: He proposes a contract, signed in their blood, that Leopold will help him with criminal activity without question. Loeb will repay him in sexual favours commensurate with the crime. Loeb soon reneges on his part of the contract, saying that arson and burglary aren't doing it for him any more, and to get him in the mood they'll need to move on to murder: A local 14-year-old boy is targeted, and the pair commit what they believe - in their conviction of their own intellectual superiority - to be the perfect crime.
By all accounts the balance of power in the real Leopold & Loeb's relationship was very different to the one presented here, but regardless the version Dolginoff has constructed is the cold heart of the musical. And this is, of course, the story as told by Leopold trying to talk his way out of prison, so he paints himself as in complete thrall to his charming and amoral friend. Lambert still makes him utterly repellent though - the oily, jittery performance is reminiscent of old gangster movies, and is to be honest a bit too broad for an intimate theatre (and if Leopold really did keep doing that thing with his tongue I'm not surprised Loeb didn't want to sleep with him.) Reitman by contrast is much more understated and quietly manipulative, and as a result Loeb's solo number "Roadster," in which he lures Bobby Franks to his death with promises of a ride in his car, is the show's most genuinely sinister moment.
Other highlights of Matthew Parker's production include Loeb getting a taste for arson in the atmospheric "Nothing Like a Fire," and Rachael Ryan's busy set design includes a lot of little details to pick out, including the evidence tags on props. Despite the cast being accompanied only by musical director Benjamin McQuigg on piano, there are moments where the music builds up an epic quality, with a couple of decent showstoppers along the way - Dolginoff's style is more traditionally melodic than a lot of off-Broadway musicals. Thrill Me manages to avoid the ghoulish, staying respectfully vague on the details of the murder itself, treating the case more as an opportunity for a character study into a twisted relationship.
And, of course, the subject of rich white men believing they're untouchable never seems to lack for topicality: Loeb has used his expensive education largely to convince himself he's a Nietzschean superman, and while his inclusion of his friend in this is patently dishonest, Leopold does, for his own different reasons, also believe himself a master manipulator. The pair's defence lawyer was the legendary Clarence Darrow, who managed to save them from the death penalty, and as they're driven off to life in prison it's hard to know if Loeb is entirely joking when he says "that's the kind of lawyer I want to be." Thrill Me is dark but interesting, doesn't overstay its welcome, and the unreliable narration leaves it open to a lot of interpretation, and apart from a couple of instances where the performances go a bit too broad, Parker's production makes a good showcase for it.
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story by Stephen Dolginoff is booking until the 5th of February at the Jermyn Street Theatre.
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes straight through.
Photo credit: Steve Gregson.
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