by joel martens
THRILL ME KILL ME
eopold and Loeb, the combined eloquence of the names conjures images of other erstwhile creative combos, artists such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gilbert and Sullivan, George and Ira Gershwin or even Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, each artistic in their own right, offering
the world balanced versions of their beautifully paired genius. Not so simple though, in the case of Leopold and Loeb. Thrill Me: The Leopold
& Loeb Story is based on the murderous tale of the obsessive pair who sought to commit the “perfect crime,” signed in blood and set in 1924 Chicago.
THE RAGE MONTHLY SAT DOWN WITH ACTORS SCOTT NICKLEY [LOEB]
AND MICHAEL PARROTT [LEOPOLD] TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THE MINDS OF THESE TWO KILLER CHARACTERS… AND THE MUSICAL STORY THAT ISTHRILL ME.
When asked to describe their roles and how they prepared, the first response
came from Michael Parrott, “Nathan Leopold was an extremely intricate indi- vidual. I researched several different papers and books published on he and Loeb. He was highly intelligent and came from a family with a high socioeconomic standing. But through all of my research, I found that the most important aspect of his personality, which I am trying to portray, is his complete reliance on Loeb. He would have done anything for him and he did. I think we all have felt at least at some point, some kind of dependence on another person. That fact allowed me as an actor to approach the character from a very naturalistic place.” Scott Nickley’s method was similar, yet his perspective was unique, “This part is
very different from any I’ve played before. The most important preparation was to recognize and accept the fact that I have dark qualities similar to this character— as we all do. Richard Loeb is, however, separated. Most of us would never give in to similar impulses, or let them completely overtake us. I’ve had to dig deep and let out my darkest impulses and not be ashamed of them, even enjoy them.” The most interesting response came when the two were asked which of the
characters they felt was the mastermind behind the crime. Nickley’s response, “Richard was definitely the mastermind behind the crime. But Thrill Me is about more than just the crime. To me, the more important aspect is the intricate nature of the relationship between these two. It’s about the give and take between two geniuses with bright futures and very different goals and how they manage to control and destroy each other.” Parrott’s response again differed; “I believe it was ultimately Leopold. Without
giving away anything from the plot, especially for those who don’t know the details of the crime, if it wasn’t for some very rash decisions that Nathan made, there may have been a completely different outcome.” A juicy carrot he’s dangled, intriguing enough to entice a few readers to partake of the play, we think! Murder and music, is always such an interesting combination. When queried
20 RAGE monthly | | MAY 2014 MAY 2014
about whether it was easier to communicate emotion set to music or simply with spoken word, Scott Nickley spoke first, “Stephen Dolginoff [writer/composer] does a good job building emotion with a scene that carries into a song. None of the songs are forced, they all fit nicely. Sometimes it’s clear that actors are just reading lines to get to the next song—there is no emotional continuum. What the creative team has done with this script makes it so that the audience will have a hard time not connecting with our characters.” Parrott followed with “I always feel that there is a lot of weight in the lyrics of each song in a musical and especially with this piece. The songs are definitely an integral part of the story telling.” We asked both of them for their best pitch on why to come and see the musical,
Michael Parrott jumped in with this, “Thrill Me is very different from your run- of-the-mill theatre experience. It is dark and sexy, makes you think, feel and re- evaluate different points of your own life. All this paired with the spectacular team at Diversionary Theatre along with the performance of Scott Nickley as Richard Loeb make this a piece you do not want to miss.” We couldn’t have pitched it better if we tried.
Thrill Meis at the Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard #101through Sunday, May 25. For tickets and more information call 619.220.6830 or go
todiversionary.org.
photo by daren scott
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80