BWW Reviews: Short North Stage's THRILL ME Lives Up To Its Name

If Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb are indeed "Super men" as the two principle characters claim throughout the Short North Stage's production of THRILL ME: THE STORY OF LEOPOLD AND LOEB, the whole world is in trouble.

The two characters are about as far from the Clark Kent superhero as you can get in Stephen Dolginoff's exceedingly dark, but ultimately satisfying musical. The 19-year-old thrill killers Leopold (Luke Stewart) and Loeb (Evin Hoffman) lean more toward the Friedrich Nietzsche's version of super men, an above-it-all, intellectually superior beings that can do whatever they want. That includes murdering of a 14-year-old boy.

Based on the true story of Chicago natives Loeb and Leopold, the 80-minute musical made its regional debut at the Short North Stage's Garden Theatre on May 28. The show will continue its run at the Garden (1187 North High Street in downtown Columbus) until June 21.

Loeb, the son of the former vice president of Sears & Roebuck, and Leopold grew up as intelligent children of privilege. As a way of solidifying his romantic relationship with Loeb, Leopold reluctantly agrees to join his lover in a mini crime spree. The two commit arson and break-ins but soon those crimes aren't enough to satisfy Loeb.

Leopold believes joining Loeb in the kidnapping and murdering 14-year-old Bobby Franks, Loeb's second cousin and neighbor, would create an unbreakable bound between two. However the super men's "perfect crime" unravels and only the employment of famed lawyer Clarence Darrow saves the two from the gallows.

As the submissive Leopold, Stewart is virtually unrecognizable as the actor who recently played the light-hearted Bobby in the Short North Stage's A CHORUS LINE. His vocals blend beautifully with those of Hoffman's domineering Loeb. The mixture is perfect for Dolginoff's dark lyrics. The show's "Nothing Like A Fire" would be, perhaps, a perfect ballad to snuggle up close with someone ... if it weren't about burning down a building: "Look at it smolder. It's breathtaking. And you know what a little misdemeanor does for me, Babe."

Artfully directed by Edward Carignan and musical director Philip Dupont, THRILL ME is not be for the squeamish. It features the uncomfortable subject of sexual obsession, the murder of a teenager and a brief flash of nudity. But the quality of the performances and a surprising twist at the end makes the show, for a lack of a better term, thrilling.

THRILL ME will be presented at 8 p.m. May 29-30, June 11-12 and June 18-19, 3 p.m. May 31, June 14 and June 21 and 9 p.m. June 13 and 20 at the Short North Theatre's Garden Theater (1187 North High Street in downtown Columbus). (There will be no performances the weekend of June 5-7.) Tickets are $20 and are on sale now by visiting www.shortnorthstage.org or calling 614-725-4042.