Chronicling the events leading up to the infamous 1924 murder of a young Chicago boy, “Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story” premiered in 2003 as part of the Fourth Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York City.

Its originally scheduled performances quickly sold out, and its run was extended to accommodate an eager, albeit curious crowd of music theatre enthusiasts unsure what to expect from a musical about one of the most heinous crimes of the 20th Century. The result was a phenomenon in which audiences and critics became enamored with a small, low-budget chamber musical tucked away in one of the smallest theatres in the city.

Stoneham Theatre will present the New England premiere of “Thrill Me” from January 20 - 28. Nathan Leopold will be played by Jonathan Reid Gealt while Richard Loeb will be played by Jonathan Colby. Stoneham’s Artistic Associate Caitlin Lowans will direct.

Playwright/Composer Stephen Dolginoff, who has also written “Most Men Are,” “One Foot Out the Door” and the award-nominated “Journey to the Center of the Earth” based on the Jules Verne classic, began the process of writing “Thrill Me” in the mid 1990s with thorough research into the lives of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. He decided to add his own imagination along the way.

"I've always been drawn to unusual subject matter,” he says, “and wanted to explore the dark side of a relationship. I was interested in creating a dark, musical thriller with a twisted relationship at its center and thought the true story of Leopold and Loeb would be a fascinating subject."

The January production of “Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story” at Stoneham Theatre is the first fully-staged production of the musical since its 2003 debut.

For tickets or more information, call 781279-2200 or visit StonehamTheatre.org.

-- OnStage Boston

12/14/04

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