From one musical theatre extreme to another, and straight after
a big, brand-new and decidedly messy show, I'm crossing the river for a compact chamber musical that's been a fringe favourite since its 2003 debut. Stephen Dolginoff's (book, music and lyrics)
Thrill Me is subtitled
The Leopold & Loeb Story, and follows a crime shocking even by 1920s Chicago standards. Framed by a parole hearing for Nathan Leopold (Bart Lambert), now in his fifties, he's given one last chance to shine a new light on one of the most written-about murders of the century, and convince them that one of the "Thrill Killers" is safe to go back on the streets. Leopold & Loeb famously inspired the play and film
Rope which, for their time, are comparatively obvious in the homoerotic subtext to the central relationship. Writing in the 21st century, Dolginoff can all-out make it text as we go back to meet the two men aged 19.
