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| In 2017, ] and Doug Kreeger reprised their original roles of ] in a special revival of ''Thrill Me''.<ref>/https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/International-Hit-Musical-THRILL-ME-Returns-with-Reunion-Concert-20170616t</ref> | In 2017, ] and Doug Kreeger reprised their original roles of ] in a special revival of ''Thrill Me''.<ref>/https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/International-Hit-Musical-THRILL-ME-Returns-with-Reunion-Concert-20170616t</ref> | ||
| In 2019, ] staged Thrill Me for their 10th in-house production. The show was nominated for Best Set Design at the Off West End Awards and both Nathan (Bart Lambert) and Richard (Jack Reitman) won Best Male Performance in a Musical. <ref>https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/off-west-end-awards-2020-winners-announced_51116.html</red> | |||
| ==Plot summary== | ==Plot summary== | ||
Revision as of 12:02, 12 March 2020
Musical by Stephen Dolginoff| Thrill Me | |
|---|---|
| The Leopold & Loeb Story | |
 Dolginoff (left) as Leopold; Kreeger as Loeb | |
| Music | Stephen Dolginoff |
| Lyrics | Stephen Dolginoff |
| Book | Stephen Dolginoff |
| Basis | Leopold and Loeb murder |
| Productions | 2003 Midtown Int'l Theater Festival 2005 Off-Broadway, various regional |
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff. It 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." The story is told in flashbacks, beginning with a 1958 parole hearing.
The show premiered with a small production at the 2003 Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City. It was then staged as a larger Off-Broadway production in 2005 by the York Theatre Company in association with Jim Kierstead. Since then, Thrill Me was published in the United States by Dramatists Play Service, and in the UK by Samuel French Ltd. recorded on CD by Original Cast Records, and has been staged in a variety of US and international cities.
Production history
The original production at New York City's 2003 Midtown International Theatre Festival was directed by Martin Charnin. It was then staged for a limited run off-Broadway by the not-for-profit York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) and Jim Kierstead, opening on May 16, 2005 and extended through August 21. Directed by Michael Rupert, the production featured author Stephen Dolginoff as Leopold and Doug Kreeger as Loeb. Stephen Bogardus, John McMartin, and Rupert himself were heard in voice-overs. Shonn Wiley replaced Kreeger late in the run. Matt Bauer opened in the role of Leopold.
The musical has had over 150 productions in 16 countries and 10 languages; and has been performed at regional theatres throughout the U.S., with Dolginoff appearing as Leopold in productions staged in Seattle, and Buffalo. Internationally, the musical has been produced in Seoul, South Korea (in Korean), Athens, Greece (in Greek), Melbourne, Australia, Tokyo, Japan (in Japanese), Madrid, Spain (in Spanish), Datteln, Germany (in German) Belgium (in Dutch), England, Scotland, Austria, Canada, Argentina, China, and the Czech Republic
A recording with Kreeger and Dolginoff was released by Original Cast Records in April 2006.
A major Los Angeles production featured Alex Schemmer and Stewart W. Calhoun at the Hudson Backstage Theatre.
A new professional production opened in February 2010 at the Seymour Centre in Sydney, Australia. The production featured Benjamin Giraud as Leopold, Blake Erickson as Loeb as well as the voices of Jason Langley, Jennifer Vuletic, and Barry Crocker.
A London Fringe production featuring Jye Frasca and George Maguire as Leopold & Loeb along with the voices of Patricia Quinn, Lee Mead and Les Dennis opened in April 2011 at the Tristan Bates Theatre and transferred to the West End's Charing Cross Theatre in May 2011 for a 4-week limited engagement. A revival at the Greenwich Theatre took place in April, 2015 prior to a UK Tour; followed by a production in 2017 which played London and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The Canadian premiere was presented by Fighting Chance Productions in Vancouver, BC. Directed by Ryan Mooney with music direction by Alison Dalton it featured Michael Gill and Braedon Cox who were nominated for Ovation Awards for their performances as well as winning Theatre BC awards for Best Lead Males. The show ran at the Shop Theatre in November 2012.
A subsequent Canadian production was presented by Capricorn 9 Productions. Produced and directed by Larry Westlake at the intimate Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto, it ran a limited engagement from July 12 to 26, 2013.
In 2017, Stephen Dolginoff and Doug Kreeger reprised their original roles of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb in a special revival of Thrill Me.
In 2019, The Hope Theatre staged Thrill Me for their 10th in-house production. The show was nominated for Best Set Design at the Off West End Awards and both Nathan (Bart Lambert) and Richard (Jack Reitman) won Best Male Performance in a Musical. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). The New York Times wrote, "The story is familiar, the script and lyrics are not especially innovative, but somehow... Dolginoff's pocket musical about the Leopold and Loeb murder case lands like a well-placed punch, arresting and a bit breathtaking.... Credit lean approach to the storytelling.... Others have told the tale in plays and films, but there is something brazenly satisfying about Mr. Dolginoff's rendition.... 's a reminder that evil often looks and sounds beautiful." The Hollywood Reporter said "Stephen Dolginoff has created a dark little entertainment told in flashbacks that combines the extravagant emotions and ensemble couplings of verismo opera (complete with feverish kisses and embraces) with musical sounds and styles drawn from Broadway and the bittersweet ballads of Franz Schubert and Kurt Weill". The Los Angeles Times wrote "A hit off-Broadway, Stephen Dolginoff's two-character musical Thrill Me delves into the distinctive pathology of the youths' relationship, a homosexual attraction that devolved into a master-slave dynamic of deadly proportions. Now in its Los Angeles premiere at the Hudson Backstage, Thrill Me proves a propitious debut for the Havok Theatre Company.
Awards and nominations
- Drama Desk Award for Best Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Score (nominee)
- Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical (nominee)
- ASCAP Music Award (winner)
- Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Musical-Intimate Theatre (nominee)
- Los Angeles Garland Award honorable mention for Best Music & Lyrics
- London Whatsonstage.com Awards nomination for Best Off-West End Production
- London Offie Award nomination for Best New Musical
References and notes
- Lortel Archives entry
- german recension, KATiELLi Theater
- Whatsonstage London
- Tristan Bates Theatre
- /https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/International-Hit-Musical-THRILL-ME-Returns-with-Reunion-Concert-20170616t
- New York Times review
- Hollywood Reporter Review
- Los Angeles Times Review