The true story of the Leopold and Loeb murder seems tailor-made for the stage. Two wealthy, young men from Chicago, embroiled in a toxic combination of Nietzsche's philosophy, obsessive sexual desire and criminal impulses, captured and killed a 14-year-old boy from their neighborhood. They were convinced that, as supermen, they were superior creatures, above the law, who would never get caught. It didn't work out that way.
The lurid tale has proved irresistible, and has been adapted frequently since the 1924 events. John Logan's "Never The Sinner" has seen substantial success, and is now being revived by the brand-new Project 891 Theatre Company. It's a creditable first effort.
It's a compelling piece that successfully gets inside the heads of these profoundly disturbed characters. It has one major flaw, however: Logan's tendency to use his characters as mouthpieces for competing arguments rather than allowing them to have full organic life.
The production is a clear, vigorous interpretation of the events - director Michael Rashid wisely avoids directorial tricks to keep the focus on the central couple. (Though his choice to put blackouts between each of the 20-plus scenes severely hurts the story's flow.) Matt Hays captures Loeb's dangerous energy, but misses the seduction that kept him above suspicion for so long. Anyone that obviously unhinged would have been caught immediately. Matt Popp's Leopold is more convincing—you can see the cold, emotionally starved boy who'd latch onto the slightest hint of excitement.
Even a strong play like "Never The Sinner" can't really explain Leopold and Loeb, but this production offers two chilling hours in their company.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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